Nitto has developed a new non-DOT tire specifically for the Feb. 10 running of the King of the Hammers: The Ultimate Desert Race (KOH) at Means Dry Lake in Johnson Valley, Calif.
The 40x13.50R17 Trail Grappler K-spec is expressly engineered for speed and rock climbing.
Six drivers are being sponsored by the tire maker to compete in the event, which will be filmed by Nitto to create an upcoming documentary.
The racers are Loren Healy, who won the KOH last year; 2009’s first-place finisher Jason Scherer; Cottin Rodd; Derek West, Mel Wade and Masa Tsuda.
“King of the Hammers is such a grueling and demanding race, drivers are constantly looking for any advantage against their competitors,” notes marketing and event specialist Tim Coltey.
“With Nitto’s development of the Trail Grappler K-Spec, we are confident the Nitto teams will have that extra edge as no other tire can handle the speed, dirt and rock crawling like this new tire,” he says.
The event tests teams and drivers in high speed desert terrain and their ability to traverse rocks. “Race car speeds are achieved through dusty desert trails, while the sheer vertical rock walls and rock washes brings another level of excitement and skill to this race unlike any other,” according to Coltey.
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The course spans more than 120 miles and usually takes six to eight hours to complete…if the competitors can; less than half of the entries typically make it to the finish line, Coltey reports, calling the event an “insane adrenaline rush of a race.”
Nitto will have a booth at the festivities from Feb. 6 through Feb. 11.
For more information, visit www.nittotire.com.
