The 8th annual "King of the Hammers" off-road event kicks off this weekend, and Mopar is out to test its mettle in southern California at one of the world's toughest one-day off-road race. Combining desert racing and rock crawling, the 100+ mile course is set in an area of Johnson Valley dubbed "The Hammers" that includes sandy washes, flat dry lakebeds, sand dunes and rock canyons.

Mopar's Gen III 5.7-liter HEMI crate engine will power six vehicles in the newly created "Every Man Challenge" featuring unique '4700 Spec Class' 4x4 vehicles loosely based on a Jeep Wrangler with a custom tube frame design. Mopar's CEO, Pietro Gorlier, said "We're excited to supply HEMI engines to the newly formed spec class at King of The Hammers and put our quality products to the test in the toughest conditions. This event is in essence a proving ground for our engine, set-up, calibration and parts, as we don't just design and produce quality parts, we want to test them in the field so that customers know that they are getting the very best available."