2026 KOH Desert Race 930 Report

Another King Of The Hammers in the books, and this year's race was a wild one. It marked our fourth attempt at winning this event—previously, we hadn't officially finished once. This time, however, John and I came better prepared and determined not just to complete the race, but to land a podium spot.

Right from the start, there was an intense battle between John Bray, my co-driver, and I in our Maverick R ("930") and Jacob Zuccone & Sam Rode with their Segway Super Villain ("2970"). By chance, we were positioned to start side by side, but when the green flag dropped, our car stumbled off the line with shifting issues. Despite the setback, we managed to pull ahead, leaving Hammertown ahead of Jacob and Sam. In the first few miles, the transmission kept searching for gears—a first-time problem for us. So focused on figuring out the issue and fixing it, I missed a turn, sending us off course. As we tried to find our way back, Jacob and Sam overtook us, leaving us trailing in their dust. Still distracted by the transmission, I missed another call from John, and we detoured again. Slamming on the brakes, our car shut off completely, which triggered a transmission alarm. We had to power down and restart before getting back on track. By then, Jacob and Sam were already gone, and Sara Price, who'd started 30 seconds behind, passed us too. Frustrated, I hammered down, determined to catch up.

Reaching the lakebed around mile five, the transmission problems disappeared, and John and I pushed hard to regain lost ground. We caught up to Jacob and Sam, trading places repeatedly over much of laps one and two. Toward the end of lap 2, after a tough two-mile duel, we got ahead and pressed on, eventually trailing Sara Price midway through lap three. By this stage, we’d pushed the car so hard that the shocks were fading, so we had to ease up to avoid further damage. Near lap three's end, we took a rough hit that broke our stock upper A-arm. Thanks to our Raceline wheels, Maxxis tires, and CA Tech lower A-arms, only the stock upper arm failed. We nursed the car to the main pit where the SSP racing team replaced the broken part. After a twenty-minute stop, our focus shifted from chasing a podium finish to simply finishing the race.

During lap four, we drove conservatively, prioritizing the car’s preservation, and ultimately completed the race, content with our result considering everything. At the finish, we learned that Jacob and Sam had crossed the line unofficially in second place. Seeing the joy on their faces instantly lifted our spirits, and I was ecstatic for their achievement.

At the awards ceremony, we learned that, following the application of penalties to Jacobs and Sam’s time, their unofficial finish was adjusted from second to sixth place, and John and I moved from sixth to fourth place. The day after the race, clarification was provided regarding the specific VCPs missed by Jacob and Sam, which led to their penalties. During our meeting with the officials, it was also revealed that the team originally in third place had not had its penalties correctly assessed, which resulted in John and I being moved up to third place. While this outcome was positive for us, the team displaced from third to fifth place is part of our racing family, and witnessing their adjustment after the prior night’s celebration was heartbreaking.

This race tested us emotionally from start to finish, but we all gained valuable lessons and plan to come back stronger next race. Jacob and Sam are determined to hit every VCP, John and I to fine-tune our car, and Janey and Kyliee have newfound determination. Next race, the competition will be fiercer than ever, and I’m looking forward to battling it out with these amazing racers.

Race Information

Race: KOH Desert Challenge - B3 Desert Limited
Vehicle Classes: UTV Open, UTV Pro Mod, UTV Pro Stock Turbo, Pro Stock NA
Combined Class Entries: 100

Can-Am Maverick R 930 Stats - Todd Zuccone & John Bray
Class Raced: UTV Pro Stock Turbo
Class Entries: 18
Class Finish Position: 3rd / 18
Combined Class Finish Position: 33rd / 100

930 Sponsors
Evolution Powersports / EVP.MOde, CA Technologies, Maxxis Tires, Raceline Wheels, Shock Therapy, Alsup Racing, ZUKE Designs, LG Creative, S3 Powersports, StarStream Pro, Rugged Radios, HPR, Triple R Lights, PWR Cooling, DRT, Soul Seekers Podcast, Twin Pine Motorsports, No Limit R&D, EVOMSit, Intelligent Tuning