Ford Unveils Trio Of Broncos To Compete In King Of The Hammers

The Ford Bronco makes a return to off-road racing for the 2021 King of the Hammers. Three custom-built trucks are competing in the ULTRA4 4400 unlimited class with drivers Vaughn Gittin Jr, Loren Healy, and Jason Scherer behind the wheel.

While the bodywork resembles a Bronco, these trucks are radically different from what's available to the public. They ride on a custom tubular chassis and have wheels pushed far away from the body. The overhauled suspension has shocks with a massive amount of travel for soaking up the rugged terrain at high speed. Four-wheel drive helps the SUVs get through the rugged terrain.

The King of Hammers runs through 90 miles of the desert in California. The route mixes high-speed sections and rock crawling. The race kicks off on February 6, and there are 450 teams competing across a variety of classes.

"King of the Hammers inspired us to ensure every production Bronco model delivers the capability, durability and high-speed off-road experience this growing off-road enthusiast community has been trying to create on their own," said Mark Grueber, Bronco marketing manager.

Even if off-road racing isn't your thing, there's reason to pay attention to what Ford is doing at the King of Hammers because the company says a "never-before-seen Bronco model" on February 3. The vehicle premiering there might be the Heritage Edition that is joining the lineup for 2022. Unfortunately, there are many details about this version of the SUV at this time.

Since unveiling the revived Bronco, Ford has been integrating the SUV into its motorsport activities. The Bronco R Race Prototype competed in the Baja 1000. Bronco Sport also won its class in the Rebelle Rally.