K&N team driver, Jami Pellegrino and his Team GenRight modified race RZR | The famed 2017 Nitto Tires King of the Hammers powered by OPTIMA Batteries was about as good as any of the past events. It is safe to say that the drivers, race teams, sponsors, and vendors are still getting event news and footage from the week, what with 5 insanely competitive events, well over 300 race teams and close to 40,000 spectators on hand. It’s a safe bet that this legendary off road event may have stories trickling in till mid summer by the looks of things. 
K&N's Jami Pellegrino all smiles as he stages before the big race. Gotta love that confidence! | We caught up with one racer who is part of the Team GenRight trio of racers, K&N team driver and brand ambassador Jami Pellegrino. In fact, we had a chance to sit down with Jami prior to King of the Hammers to see what he and co-driver, Matt Lasher, had planned for their second Can-Am UTV Race presented by RCV. 
The K&N-sponsored team of Pellegrino and Lasher on it hard through the short course at main pit | While this may only be Pellegrino’s second King of the Hammer’s Can-Am UTV race, Jami is no stranger to the spectacle from literally every angle. And not just the UTV race. He has been the creative eye behind the lens on virtually all the print and video we’ve seen come from the GenRight Off Road crew. He’s been the one responsible for capturing the highlights of younger brother, Jordan Pellegrino’s chase for the win of the SmittyBilt Every Man Challenge and the emotion behind father, Tony Pellegrino’s quest to be crowned King of the Hammers in his incredible Team GenRight Ultra4 Unlimited Class car. Additionally he’s worked shooting for other iconic competitors like Jessi Combs, Tom Wayes, and Pro-Moto Racer Andrew Short, and many more. He’s filmed television commercials for nationally recognized brands that you’ve probably seen on ESPN. Pellegrino’s even provided a multitude of noteworthy clips that have been featured in multiple Hammerking Productions and his work has been used by countless other media outlets to help promote the competitors and these events. Could this be something that Jami can use to his advantage? We sure think so! 
Pellegrino and Lasher driving smooth through the brutal boulder laden trail of Chocolate Thunder | During his time behind the lens he has been able to look at the vehicles perhaps from a different perspective. Seeing what works and what doesn’t when the UTVs, EMC Stock Modifieds, and Ultra4s hit the brutal, boulder laden trails like Chocolate Thunder and Jackhammer. He’s witnessed as drivers have conquered the trails and witnessed as they or their equipment has failed or fallen short. He’s gained an immense amount of experience from behind the lens and learned invaluable lessons through watching as the races have unfolded before his very eyes. A sort of bird’s eye view that helped prepare him for his adventure trading the lens for the driver’s seat behind the wheel. 
Wide open through the desert, Pellegrino and Lasher mentally prepare for the next big trail | Jamie shared that an avoidable, yet unfamiliar mechanical mishap that ended he and Lasher’s first KOH race early, just 15 miles short of the finish was something that he didn’t want to experience again. Even with the shortfall from the first race, Pellegrino learned that this race was definitely doable and that he had what it took to whip those trails into submission. Of course, provided he kept at it, getting more seat time, gaining more knowledge and experience with his vehicle. With all of that he believed he could make it happen. He pulled out all the stops to figuratively become one with his machine, learning everything he could, the ins, the outs, the nuances that would afford him and Lasher a solid finish. He tore down that UTV and developed suspension parts that in the end would prove to be one of the best choices he made, come race day. He put in countless miles of seat time in the rocks and the desert. Countless hours went into improvements on car #485. An abundant amount of research and development went into dialing in the RZR. 
Hot on the tail of another UTV Class competitor, Jami & Matt make their move to pass | Qualifying was offered for the first time as an option for UTVs this year, and after seeing the brutal qualifying courses in years past, he and his co-driver decided to opt out for the sake of saving the car for race day. In hindsight he said, they probably could have run qualifying safely, considering the loop was mostly short course and scattered rocks. Nonetheless, they ended up drawing a starting position of 50th, 7 spots behind the last qualifier. This put the two off the line at about 8:21AM in a field of 75 cars. 
Smooth and calculated as Pellegrino and Lasher head down Backdoor on their way to the finish line | As always, the first lap is mayhem, and to add to the mayhem this year, the first 10 miles of the course were literally a “make it or break it”, rough, tattered, rutted course. Their goal was to drive fast and smooth, and they did just that. No flats, no breaks, just passes. At the end of lap 1, all they had to do was refuel, and prepare themselves for the brutal rock trails that lap 2 held for them. After 20 more miles of desert, heading into Aftershock, the first rock trail of lap 2, this is where the fun began; cars were littered everywhere, winches, stacking rocks, you name it. Jami and Matt just drove smooth and worked their way through, passing several cars along the way through Aftershock, Mt. Fisher, Sledgehammer, Chocolate Thunder, Upper Big Johnson, Resolution, and down Backdoor. They just drove their race, never needing to winch, never having to change a single flat, never needing to replace a single belt. The team crossed the finish line at about 1:00 p.m. yielding them an elapsed time on course just over four and a half hours! 
K&N's Pellegrino and Lasher crossing the finish line at the bottom of Backdoor in 13th position | After starting 50th, the dynamic UTV Team of Jami Pellegrino and Matt Lasher passed 37 cars to finish a physical and overall 13th place. Happy with the finish marking their second Can-Am King of the Hammers UTV race presented by RCV Jami tells us that he can’t wait to continue to develop his skills as a driver, and continue to grow his relationships with all of the companies, like K&N Engineering that support him and the sport he loves. Congratulations to K&N team driver, Jamie Pellegrino and his co-driver, Matt Lasher on their 13th overall finish on their second running of the Can-Am King of the Hammers UTV Race presented by RCV. We feel like the third time may be the charm for these two very talented competitors and can't wait to see what the 2017 race season holds for them. |
