Final Assembly of the #457 Ultra4 car took place at the 2012 Hammertown, in the Bradley’s Race Works garage tent! The car assembly finalized on the brink of the race start after three intensive months of construction at Fernley, Nevada! In October, Brad Falin qualified at Glen Helen in his earlier VORRA championship car.
Johnson Valley, CA February 10th—The 2012 Griffin King of the Hammers Race included a variety of new technology. On the leading edge was the Bradley’s Race Works #457 Ultra4 car, the first Duramax diesel-powered 4WD buggy in this class.
Under Duramax diesel power, the #457 car enters the contingency line-up and goes through “tech” inspection before the pre-race Hammertown interview. Brad Falin shares details about the crew and car the day before the 2012 Griffin King of the Hammers Race start.
Brad Falin is no stranger to diesel power. His career spans decades of work with Cat and other off-road equipment, punctuated by seven years of crewing with Rod Hall Racing’s Hummer program at Baja. Brad’s expertise around Humvee suspension landed contract work, with years of focusing on the intricacies of severe off-road pounding.
The start of the 2012 Griffin King of the Hammers Race for #457! Brad Falin requested a rear start to allow the car’s character to unfold gradually without the pressure of the pack. Over 130 cars started in this Ultra4 challenge at Johnson Valley, CA. The #457 had only a few hours of runtime after final assembly and first startup.
In this extensive HD video coverage, ranging from Brad’s Fernley, Nevada shop to the 2012 Hammertown garage tents at Johnson Valley, the #457 car comes to life. Brad Falin and Miles Kelley lined up for the most challenging of off-road races, the rock crawls and high speed desert washes of the 2012 Griffin King of the Hammers Race!
In these two interview segments (above and below), learn how Brad Falin designed and developed the #457 race car. This is the first Duramax diesel engine to compete in Ultra4 racing, and Brad Falin shares why the car will be highly competitive.
Part 2 of the Brad Falin post-race interviews takes place at Fernley, Nevada where we discuss the 2012 Griffin King of the Hammers Race, the #457 car’s performance at Johnson Valley and Brad’s plans for the 2012 season of Ultra4 racing.
Miles Kelley co-piloted the #457 Ultra4 race car at the 2012 Griffin King of the Hammers Race. In this interview from Brad Falin’s shop at Fernley, Nevada, Miles recaps the race and describes the tune and performance of the Duramax diesel on the race course.
A VORRA champion and expert desert racer, Brad Falin saw Ultra4 as the next progression in his racing challenges. Brad chose both Hummer and Duramax elements for his first purpose-built Ultra4 car. With intense determination to make the 2012 Griffin King of the Hammers Race, Bradley’s Race Works team worked on the new car for three months—right to the start day of the race!
