This year’s King of the Hammers (KOH) would see almost double the entries, 60 side-by-sides with most being RZRs, lining up to try to take “The Hammer” and a brand-new 2016 RZR XP Turbo EPS, which was offered to the Pro Class winner as part of Polaris RZR being the official side-by-side of the race. Three Polaris Factory Racers would line up their Polaris RZRs for the toughest off-road race in the world and when the dust settled, all three would finish in the top five.
In 2011, Polaris Factory Race Team Jagged X would take “The Hammer” with Brandon Schueler at the wheel of their Polaris RZR. Five years later, Jagged X would be back on top with Blake Van De Loo piloting and Chad Hummer co-piloting the No. 1919 RZR XP 1000 EPS to the win. Van De Loo would get a great starting position being seventh off the line and be able to pass many of the cars early in the race. The No. 1919 would duel with 2015 Hammers Champion Mitch Guthrie in his No. 1 RZR XP Turbo EPS for most of the rest of the race until Guthrie would break a heim joint on a lower control arm and have to repair it. The No. 1919 would have clear sailing the rest of the way and would cross the line more than 30 minutes ahead of the rest of the field. Polaris Factory Racer Branden Sims, in his No. 1913 RZR XP 1000, would finish second, and Chad Hughes, in the No. 1295 RZR XP 1000 EPS, would finish third giving RZR a clean sweep of the podium.
The RZR XP Turbo EPS would make its inaugural run at the KOH this year with Polaris Factory Racer Mitch Guthrie. Six-time KOH Champion Guthrie, running the No. 1 plate, would finish fifth, with RZRs finishing in four of the top five spots.
