The 2018 King of the Hammers race is officially over. The dust is slowly starting to settle in Johnson Valley, California, while vendors and campers start to disperse, and the teams and crowd gather around the podium to celebrate the conclusion of the world’s greatest off-road race. This year’s winner, Jason Scherer, is no stranger to the KOH podium; he placed First in the 2009 KOH race.

See all 251 photos

See all 251 photos

This year KOH was dominated by racers who are very familiar with the King of the Hammers podium. Scherer, who’s been racing for 18 years, saw his second win, but Second Place finisher Erik Miller has also taken First at King of the Hammers; he won in 2012. Rounding out the podium was Wayland Campbell, whose father, Shannon Campbell, took home the gold at KOH last year. Shannon has been on the KOH podium several times, with three wins under his belt as of last year. Wayland finished Second last year marking the first time a father-son team took First and Second at KOH.

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This race is a true spectacle. One of the most amazing things about KOH is the fact that you have professional race-grade engines and vehicles, and the drivers are fully responsible for making that vehicle get across the finish line. If you lose a part, as a driver it’s your job to retrieve and reattach it. If something breaks on-trail and it can be fixed, it’s the driver and co-driver who do the fixing. You’ll never see a NASCAR driver jump in with the pit crew and help fix up their ride. King of the Hammers is the pinnacle of off-road racing.