Teryx Girls take on King of the Hammers race

“Teryx Girls” Sara Price and Erica Sacks were back in their Kawasaki Teryx UTV last month, this time at America’s “ultimate desert race,” King of the Hammers, which took place on February 3 in Johnson Valley, California.

Sara maneuvers her way down a steep, boulder-strewn trail in King of the Hammers desert race. Photo Credits: Teryx girls Facebook page

Sara and Erica say they did their homework, from training to pre-running, in order to learn all they could about the terrain and course. Knowing they were facing a competitive field of 60 UTVs, their goal wasn’t necessarily to win the race, but to finish it.

They started King of the Hammers in 20th position, going out two by two in 30-second intervals. Off the start line into the 60-mile desert section, they began working their way through the competition. According to Sara, they knew that being in a 800cc machine against 1000cc machines would be a disadvantage in the desert section because of lower top speeds.

They decided to get fuel at the first pit stop at mile 47 in hopes of racing the rest of the course without any further pit stops. After family and supporters filled them up and checked the Teryx to make sure it was in perfect condition, Sara and Erica were on their way.

Unfortunately, shortly after leaving pit 1, the girls hit a rock at high speed, leaving them with a leaking radiator and spewing coolant. Sara says, after they radioed for someone to take a look at the leak when they arrived at the main pit, sponsors IMG Motorsports, Raceline and PCI teamed up to help.

Soon, the Teryx was repaired and they were on their way to the rocks in a solid 12th place. “We were doing absolutely incredible, turning heads along the way while making the first few climbs look easy in the Kawasaki Teryx,” says Sara.

“We were confident the Teryx would have a strong performance in the climbing sections, and we were right!”

The first tough rock section was Clawhammer, where they quickly made their way through the rocky terrain. Where other teams were winching, Sara and Erica used their MaxTraks and crawled around, saving time and keeping their momentum. They also moved past a group of cars that was stuck on the waterfall going down Wrecking Ball, an infamous part of the course with its 20-foot drop.

Sara controlled the sliding car before the initial decent and describes her ordeal on Wrecking Ball:

“Coming up to Wrecking Ball and seeing a few fellow racers stuck in the main line, I knew of a line from pre-running up the hill. It wasn’t my first choice but in this situation had to take it – man, was it sketchy. Erica got out and was going to put some MaxTraks down to help with the angle at the bottom. But the car was sliding, and I didn’t want to run her over, so I yelled to get out of the way and, in a split second, had to commit to going down! It kicked me a little right, almost rolling me, but I’m glad I had some good reflexes to save it! That was by far one of the most rewarding moments on course. I got the the bottom and just yelled and put my hands up.”

The Teryx Girls left Wrecking Ball in 5th place but soon got stuck after taking a difficult line around another UTV that had rolled. Winching their way out of the rock sections left them with a slipping, glazed-over belt from the heat as well as a broken front CV and no time to repair it within the 8-hour time limit for the race.

After nearly an hour of exhausting effort, the girls were unstuck and on their way. Sara says they were passed by many fellow drivers, but they continued to focus on keeping their momentum and driving the car at speed.

At another climb called Chocolate Thunder, Erica raced another UTV driver for a winch strap already built into the course and reached it first. According to Sara, the other team decided to winch onto the same line at the same time, crossing over the girls’ line. As onlookers watched and cheered, both cars continued to crawl over each other for traction until they made it to the top.

Erica says, “Chocolate Thunder was amusing to say the least. The crowd was going crazy, and we didn’t have much options, so we just went for it. Sara got into a roll position a few times; but in training, we’re taught to use other cars if needed for traction and get to the winch spots first. So that’s exactly what I did, I got to the winch hook first!”

She adds, “That’s what’s awesome about this racing. It’s not about keeping the cars pretty; we drive over each other’s UTVs if needed, and it’s all in good competitive spirit.”

After Chocolate Thunder, the belt heated up even more, and the girls used their Super ATV 4500-lb. winch for the next several miles. They raced to Jack North and made their way to Jack Hammer, where they broke a tie-rod.

After at least a 30-minute delay to fix the broken tie-rod, Sara and Erica were back in the race. Unfortunately, the car was difficult to maneuver in 3-wheel drive with a slipping belt through the tricky rock sections. A final sand hill was their final undoing, with no points to winch to and no space to gain speed for the ascent.

At mile 78, the Teryx Girls were determined to finish the race, but the clock was ticking. After spending 30 minutes attempting to get up the hill, they had to give it up.

Sara and Erica were disappointed not to be able to finish King of the Hammers but say they were proud of their performance and impressed with how competitive they really were. The Teryx Girls were the talk of Hammer Town with their determination and no-fear mentality to conquer the rocks, earning a respectable place on the course and many bravos from fellow racers.

The girls’ next race was the UTV World Championship, held in Laughlin, Nevada on February 18 to 20. They ran in 1st and 2nd place for most of the 15-mile desert course until a belt failed a quarter lap from the finish line, giving them a 4th place finish. Readers may remember the Teryx Girls raced in the Rally Aicha Des Gazelles in the Sahara Desert last year at this time.

This past Sunday, the girls hosted a Supercross party at Pepe’s Restaurant in the Towne Center. The event included a raffle for prizes.. No one went home empty-handed, and there was plenty of opportunity to talk to the girls about their recent adventures.

On their Facebook page they wrote, “It was so great to hang and talk with each and everyone of you! Without our supporters we wouldn’t be able to do what we do, and it’s so great to share our passion of racing and motorsports with you all!”

To keep up with the Teryx Girls and learn more about their sponsors, go to www.Facebook.com/TeryxGirls

The Teryx Girls are supported by:

Kawasaki Motor Corp., Kawasaki Genuine Parts, BitTorrent, IMG Motorsports, BitTorrent, Super ATV, SLIME, K&N Filters, HCR Racing, Raceline Wheels, Arisun Tires, Summers Brothers Racing, PRP Seats, PCI Race Radios, MaxTraks, Factory UTV, F&L Tacing Fuel, KC HiLiTES, Alpinestars, Ride 100%, Bell Powersports, The Vinyl Shop, OffRoad like a girl, Coyote ENTS.