Tire Balls® Achieves Winning Results at King of the Hammers 2014

Posted on February 17, 2014

Tire Balls® Achieves Winning Results at King of the Hammers 2014

CRESTWOOD, Kentucky ̶ February 12, 2014 ̶ The Tire Ball Company, the leading manufacturer of high performance run flat tire inflation systems, today announces its key role in the winning performances by the top finishers in the “toughest one day off road race in the world”, the Griffin King of the Hammers (KOH), held in Johnson Valley, CA, February 1-7, 2014.

A crowd of almost 40,000 spectators and 500,000 online viewers witnessed more than 150 “buggies” tackle obstacles called “The Back Door,” “Chocolate Thunder,” “Wrecking Ball” and “Jackhammer” during last week’s race. The KOH race is almost 200 miles long with speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, and the participants compete knowing only a small percentage of them will actually finish the race. As this year’s race results indicate, the vehicles utilizing Tire Balls had a distinct competitive advantage.

Ultra4 King of Hammers (KOH) Tire Ball History:

The Tire Ball Company was approached two years ago by Shannon Campbell, two-time winner of the King of Hammers and 2013 National Ultra4 Champion, to develop a tire/wheel survival protocol that would alleviate time delay’s that historically occur when changing flat tires caused by the harsh terrain. Exceeding many racers expectations, the Tire Balls solution has gone beyond just helping competitors eliminate flat tires. With the increased confidence that comes from utilizing Tire Balls, drivers have changed their racing strategies due to the increased tire/wheel performance and have even updated vehicle configurations to remove the spare tire, reducing vehicle weight. Throughout the Ultra4 2013 season, many race teams realized the Tire Balls advantage and have incorporated them into their vehicles.

KOH 2014:

Starting with the first race Saturday, February 1, 2014, King of the Moto’s two-time Champion, Cody Webb, a Tire Balls sponsored race team, finished first atop the podium. Cody dominated the Enduro circuit all last season, and now, he has topped the KOH once again. Heading into last Wednesday’s UTV race, Tire Balls hadn’t even had time to celebrate the Moto’s victory when Guthrie Racing’s Mitch Sr. and Jr. won the Pro UTV class with Tire Balls. Friday’s race was even more rewarding for the Tire Balls Company, as Loren Healy’s team took top honors, with Tire Balls.

“Attending our first KOH was exciting enough, but to go into Wednesday sweeping the first place finishers of the Moto’s and UTV’s was overwhelming,” stated Mark Harris, VP of Sales for The Tire Ball Company. “Then, to have the winning team for Friday’s race, well, to say we are extremely pleased would be an understatement. What an amazing platform to showcase the culmination of our company’s efforts over the last 10 years.” Mark continued. Erik Evans, President of The Tire Ball Company was also in attendance. “I am ecstatic with the many positive comments on how well Tire Balls worked from qualifying to race day,” Erik commented. “There is no other racing genre on the planet with this much competitive camaraderie. The entire Tire Balls team is thrilled to be part of such an awesome event and industry.”

When the dust settled Friday evening, the Ultra4 top five teams and eight of the top ten finishers all used Tire Balls.

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About The Tire Ball® Company: Based in Crestwood, Kentucky, The TireBall® Company designed, developed, and manufactures the Tire Balls multi-cell run flat tire inflation system. Manufactured in the USA,Tire Balls increase performance for ATVs, UTVs, Ultra-4s, BITDs, motorcycles, and motocross and are utilized by the U.S. military, off-road, industrial, agricultural and commercial customers. For more information, visit www.tireballs.com.

LetzRoll Off-Road KOH2014

Posted on February 13, 2014

The King of the Hammers race is brutal… extreme… tough… the slightest edge can mean the difference between a top 10 finish and not finishing at all. Congratulations to LetzRoll Offroad Racing and the #4493 of Andrew McLaughlin and Tim Ray for their 10^th place finish in this year’s epic event. Building off of last year’s top 20 finish, running with TireBalls allowed LetzRoll Offroad Racing to push through almost the entire 3rd lap and record a 10th place finish in the 2014 race with flat driver front tire.

“When the going gets tough, TireBalls keep us going! There is no other part on our rig that can be deployed as the back up on the fly to bring us to the finish line. Tires balls have been there to save the day for us and our racing program!” – Andrew McLaughlin

“TireBalls have been a key part to our success, particularly in qualifying, where we are able to push beyond a level that we see during a race. Qualify well and you have clean air to make smart decisions, qualify poorly and you are battling sometimes with reckless abandon.

At KOH 2014, Andrew & I had pushed harder than ever during qualifying. We ended up 26^th out of 156 racers, holding onto a top 10 time until late in day 2. During our 3:24 qualifying lap, we cut a tire VERY early. Without TireBalls, our position would have been vastly different, thus changing our race strategy and perhaps outcome for the big race on Friday.

During the big race, we cut 1 tire early on lap 2 in the rocks – we never slowed down, we never changed strategy. That tire got changed in the pits and we continued on. We ran the last lap of the race with both front tires having 4” cuts in the sidewalls – because of TireBalls, we never slowed down and we never missed on the rocks. We were able to continue our pace and bring the 4493 home to our ESAB / LetzRoll Offroad Racing family and fans in 10^th place overall.” - Tim Ray

Danny Prather - Best in the Desert with TireBalls

Posted on January 20, 2014

Danny Prather has been using TireBalls for many years. Ironically after finishing 1st in the BITD 2014 Parker 250 we discovered he has been using the same TireBall kits he purchased 5 years ago. We felt obligated to send him some new ones. Danny's experience with the TireBall MCIS has us partnering with him starting in 2014 to supply the many desert races and genre's to rekindle our racing presence out west again. Prather Racing successes are abundant. Significant accomplishments in Best in the Desert ATV Pro-quad Champions the last 4 years running with 1st place finishes in 65 AMA D-38 desert races;, Multiple BAJA 250/500 & 1000 wins dating back to 2006. Pretty impressive. "TireBalls allow our team to surpass the limits of any other run-flat on the market. When flat tires are not an option, run with TireBalls" Danny recently said.

TireBalls has been developing the larger tire market for the last 12 months and Danny will represent TireBalls in the western region of the US, Mexico and Canadian markets. Markets to include Ultra4, BITD, SCORE, WORC's, BAJA to name a few. "Danny's first hand knowledge of the product and it's capabilities will position us to dominate the desert racing again" said Mark Harris, VP of Sales, The TireBall Company. Mark emphasized a "rekindled focus on our racing presence for the UTV/ATV and Motorcycle markets to also now include the extreme truck racing for tires up to 42 inches for some of the most grueling races on the planet." Any inquires please direct them to Danny at pratherracing@yahoo.com.