VORC x Bad Lizard Racing: Southern Arizona Is Headed to the 2027 King of the Hammers

Big news for the crew. Vail Off Road Crew is teaming up with Bad Lizard Racing for the 2027 King of the Hammers, and we couldn't be more fired up about it.

For anyone who hasn't been, King of the Hammers is the toughest one-day off-road race in the world. It's held every winter in Johnson Valley, California, and it throws everything at you in a single day: high-speed desert, brutal rock trails, and a whole lot of carnage. Just finishing is a badge of honor.

Meet Bad Lizard Racing

Bad Lizard Racing is a father-and-sons race team right here in Southern Arizona. Behind the wheel is Casey Gran, and he's no rookie. Casey has raced KOH before, so he knows exactly what Johnson Valley can do to a rig and the people driving it. Riding shotgun as co-driver is Zack.

If you follow them on Instagram, you already know what this team is about. It's a family-built, family-wrenched program where the pit crew is made up of brothers, the shop nights run until 3 a.m., and the parts bill is always bigger than planned. It's grassroots racing at its best, and that's exactly why we wanted to be part of it.

Keep an eye out for car #4641 in Johnson Valley. It's a TJ Wrangler, and you can't miss it: blacked out with neon green graphics and the Bad Lizard skull on the doors, sitting on green Method beadlocks. The team is backed by Rock Krawler Suspension, ADS Racing Shocks, Venom Performance, Yankum Ropes and Yukon Gear & Axle.

The 4600 Stock Class

Bad Lizard is running in the 4600 Stock class, and honestly, it's our favorite class to follow. These rigs have to keep their stock OEM frame, engine and transmission. They're allowed upgraded suspension and DOT-approved tires within the rules, but the bones are the same as what you'd see rolling through a parking lot.

Then they race the same unforgiving terrain as everyone else. That's what makes 4600 special. It's the closest thing to what we're all running on the weekends, taken to the absolute limit. When a 4600 rig makes it out of the rocks, it proves what a well-built, well-driven, stock-based rig can really do.

How VORC Fits In

The Bad Lizard crew will be repping VORC at the Hammers in our collab tees and hats, designed just for this race. For us, this lines up with everything VORC stands for. We started as a group of friends wheeling the backcountry around Vail, and seeing a Southern Arizona family team carry the crew's name into Johnson Valley means a lot.

Get the Gear

To celebrate the partnership, we teamed up on a one-of-a-kind collab design. It has the Bad Lizard skull and lizard up top, the VORC crest underneath, and the Arizona mountains to tie it all together. The Bad Lizard crew will be wearing the design at the Hammers on VORC collab tees and hats.

The VORC x Bad Lizard Racing tees and hats drop at vailoffroadcrew.com November 1st so you can support the team and have gear before the race. Quantities will be limited, so keep an eye on the shop and on our Instagram, @vail_offroad_crew, so you don't miss it.

Follow Along

We'll be sharing the whole journey from build updates and testing through race week, right here on the blog and on Instagram. Make sure you're following Bad Lizard Racing at @badlizard_racing too, and send them some love.

The Hammers doesn't care how much money you spent or how good your rig looks in the driveway. It only cares whether you can keep going. We've got Casey, Zack and the whole Bad Lizard crew's back every mile of the way.

See you out there. Adventure awaits.