In the world of motorsports, some races test your outright speed, and then some test the absolute limits of mechanical and human endurance. Falling squarely into the latter category is King of the Hammers (KOH), widely recognized as the toughest one-day off-road race on the planet. What started as a casual challenge among 12 friends in 2007 has evolved into a massive, week-long global phenomenon that draws over 80,000 spectators and hundreds of elite race teams to the rugged terrain of Johnson Valley, California.
At the helm leading that dramatic transformation after founding the race in 2007 is Dave Cole. In this episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, host Dan Kahn speaks with Dave about what it took to transform KOH and the many lessons he learned along the way. It is an amazing look at entrepreneurship on a grand scale.
Click on the icon above to listen to the entire episode, and here are our top five takeaways:
Keeping to the middle can minimize ups and downs.
Build your vision and stick to it.
Overcoming challenges is all about getting people to work with you.
You have to pay attention to the next generations.
Listening is a critical part of leadership.
Play the Middle
There have obviously been many highs and lows in turning KOH into what it is today. All of them could have easily created an emotional rollercoaster that would have challenged the sanity of any entrepreneur. However, Dave created a unique way to handle the ups and downs and keep pushing forward.
“I don’t ever remotely think about the mistakes of yesterday. I just go forward, go forward and go forward,” said Dave. “I also don’t celebrate the wins either because if you go up with the wins, you have to crash hard with the losses. If you find some way not to go too high with the wins, then you won’t crash as hard with the losses, and you will still be in the middle. If you keep to that middle part, you can keep going the next day.”
Stop Chasing Everything
One of the pivotal moves Dave made early on was to avoid morphing KOH into what a big sponsor wanted. With the natural ebb and flow of sponsors, KOH could become something it shouldn’t be. Instead of chasing big sponsors, Dave focused on building KOH as he envisioned, and then sponsors approached him.
“I stopped trying to chase the big single-title sponsors, which seemed to be what everyone would go after. If you do that, you are building your event around what they need, and that could change every three years when their marketing budget changes,” said Dave. “If you build the event to what you need and they find value in what you are doing, you can just keep plugging away.”
The Secret to Overcoming Challenges
If there is one thing Dave has become a certifiable expert in, it is overcoming challenges. Turning a dry lakebed into a city, running a massive race on BLM land and livestreaming the entire event from the middle of nowhere have all posed major challenges. However, Dave has overcome them all by sticking to one philosophy.
“No matter what the challenge is, your challenge is enrolling people to be your supporters rather than your detractors. That is the constant battle. It doesn’t make a difference if you’re making a race or trying to be elected president or whatever,” said Dave. “All you are doing is working with people to get them in one way or another to work with you. As soon as you can achieve that, then everything is easy, no matter what the technical hurdle is.”
Building the Next Generation
Ultimately, if you want any form of motorsports to be a long-term success, you have to ensure there is another generation coming. To accomplish that is the Ultra4Next Training & Workforce Development Center in Kentucky. It provides youth with technical and skill development in the motorsports industry, along with career pathways.
“If we are going to be the most awesome form of motorsports or the best sport period, we have to have the best people. If we want to make new technology, then we have to have the best people,” said Dave. “I want the smartest people to come do what we do. Turns out it is pretty exciting work, and people want to do it, but they just need a path. “
Listening is a Superpower
Some people mistakenly think of leadership as nothing more than telling others what to do. While that is a component of it, listening to people is just as important. It is a critical skill that Dave wishes he had learned earlier in his career.
“I didn’t listen enough. I am finding out now that the more I listen, the better off I am. I know I hardly did any of it (listening) back then. I think it was a bit of a give-and-take then. You needed a certain mix of not giving a shit. It is hard to do that and have listening skills,” said Dave. “Now, you can listen to people, and you can hear them tell you exactly what you need to hear. You just have to listen.”
