February 7, 2022 — JOHNSON VALLEY, Calif.
The #honda Off-Road Factory #racing team is off to a strong 2022 start with a first-ever #kingofthehammers win for the #honda Talon. This year’s event held up to its reputation as one of the roughest off-road races and continues to grow in popularity – with nearly 60,000 spectators and over 500 teams populating “Hammertown, USA,” a temporary community in Southern California’s Johnson Valley.
"We're beyond excited to bring home a win for the #honda Talon at #kingofthehammers," said Team Principal #jeffproctor. "It's been a fast learning curve for the team, but with all the #honda support, success has come quickly."
Building off of their 2021 finishes, the team again fielded rock-racing specialists #baileycole and Jordan Pellegrino, who had spent the last month doing their pre-running "homework" – combing the area's canyons and trails to document the ever-changing landscape. Cole qualified 46th and Pellegrino was 79th out of 129 race entries. For the first time, the event's side-by-side competition was broken up into classes, with the #honda Talons running in the UTV Stock Normally Aspirated division.
Cole went into the February 3 race with a solid strategy of maintaining a conservative pace in the desert section, then doing what he excels at – finding speed in the technical rock sections. While holding to that strategy, he quickly became a stand-out with his overall speed. Cole built an early 20-minute lead in his class and despite some time-eating issues, his finishing time of 6 hours, 27.09 seconds was over 40 minutes faster than second place, earning him 14th overall. Only 34 out of 129 UTVs finished the race.
"I had a blast on this KOH course, and to bring home the first KOH win for the #honda Talons made it one of my most memorable events," Cole said. "I've grown up out here, #racing in many different classes, watching manufacturers come out to test and prove their vehicles. It means a lot to be trusted to bring a relatively new platform, like the #honda Talon, to such a difficult race and prove that not only it is tough enough, but it has the pace to win. It was an honor to once again represent #honda and show off the Talon's capabilities. This win feels amazing."
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