One of the toughest, and most talked about Off Road race courses, in the United States, is just a few short hours from the Switch-Pros facility. Given the spectacle of the races, and the thousands of spectators who come to watch, naturally we pack up our rigs and head east, to Johnson Valley, California, for the fun. The races I am referring to are, of course, the Ultra4 King of the Hammers off road races. This event is one for fierce competitors, enthusiasts, and general spectators, who are brave enough to dare the cold temperatures, the frigid wind, and the pounds of dirt they will take home as a souvenir. The event consists of five days of races, several classes per race, and drivers of every skill level. They even have a race called the Every Man Challenge, which was created for “every man who dreams of conquering the toughest rocks in Johnson Valley.” Nearly every one of these races has cars out on the course well past sundown, and the drivers rely on superior lighting and top notch radio communication, for safety as they pick their way through the menacing obstacles of the grueling terrain. With driver and co-driver safety being the primary concern, the Switch-Pros brand of products becomes essential. Our SP9100 and RCR-Force®12 off road light switch panel power systems are integral in powering light bars, chase lights, dust lights, fresh air pumpers and communications equipment, to keep the cars on course and powering toward the podium.
The KOH event is a treacherous blend of fast, desert racing, coupled with super technical rock sections, guaranteed to prove challenging for even the most skilled drivers and navigators. The race course covers more than 150 miles of rutted out roads, dry lake beds, and boulder strewn canyons. The competitors have ten hours to finish the course, and cross the line, and, sadly, many don’t actually ever make it without being towed back by the rescue crew. The drone footage, linked to this post, gives a bird’s eye view of the “tent city” that is built, and affectionately dubbed Hammertown, to support and sustain the racers, vendors, and spectators who attend.
The rigs you see at the KOH event, are the ultimate in built, with every type of accessory imaginable for off road competition. All vehicles are required to have certain equipment, which is essential for safety. In addition, there are rules which are implemented to lessen the possibility of on-course collisions. One such rule requires every race car to have a rear facing amber light, also known as a Dust Light, which must be automatically powered on with the car’s ignition, and not be able to be turned off until the car is powered off. This configuration is not easy to achieve, unless, of course, the driver has a Switch-Pros system on board. The logic required to control a light bar, in this manner, is built into our systems and is easy to program in, using our Bluetooth app. This type of technology makes us a trailblazer in the power distribution market, and the abundance of Switch-Pros brand off road light controllers seen out at this race event is remarkable.
Our flagship product, the Switch-Pros SP9100 Switch panel power system, was primarily designed as a light bar switch panel, meaning that its primary purpose was to switch on light bars and other off road lighting. But, when the racers saw the platform, they decided they wanted us to make a more robust and capable system, which would be able to power their entire vehicles, including Start and Ignition, cooling fans, fuel and water pumps, as well as lower amperage, simple stuff like lighting. The video link of the Lite Brite Nation driver, Brittany Williams, will show her starting up her Ultra 4 buggy, after leaving the tech and safety inspection area.
One might wonder why we choose to spend ten to twelve days in the middle of the California high desert, in a tent city, braving weather, dust storms and high winds. Well, the long answer is this: the carnage that is typical of this level of off-road racing requires the most talented and experienced mechanics and wiring professionals to attend to help prep, troubleshoot, and repair cars, as they take to the desert for qualifying and racing. It’s not uncommon for qualifying cars to blow tires, suffer rollovers, break axles, and have issues with the navigational and communications systems. As a company, we strive to build bullet-proof custom switch panels that are also Bluetooth switch panels for off road lighting and electronics, which can withstand the even the roughest of elements and terrain. The racers, and their support staff, come from all over the country to try their skills at conquering this world-famous terrain, and being crowned King of the Hammers. And, as a vendor, there is no better place to gain insight into what installers, mechanics, drivers and co-drivers want for controlling their cockpit. In fact, it is at this very event that we have learned and refined our easy install switch panel systems to be the ideal mix of complexity and simplicity. It is also the place where we gather input for potential enhancements to our off road light controller systems.
You may wonder why this particular sect embraces the Switch-Pros brand so enthusiastically. The answers are numerous, including the fact that we make easy to install switch panel systems; all of our switch panels are Bluetooth® switch panels; and that our systems are built for the demands of wiring anything from a light bar on a passenger vehicle, to fans and ignition on a race car. Our team is committed to closely monitoring advances in technology, and making sure we incorporate the most sophisticated, yet affordable enhancements that will add value for racers, and enthusiasts, and attending events, where the cars are put to the ultimate test, is the best place for us to do that. So, perhaps we will see you at the races?
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