Back for the 27th year is the King Shocks Off-Road Expo in Costa Mesa California. On October 3-4th, thousands of Off-Road enthusiasts gather at the OC Fairgrounds for two days of vendors, community meetups, and airborne vehicles.
Presented by Hankook Dynapro Tire
What is Off-Road Expo?
With 27 years of history, the King Shocks Off-Road Expo is one of the oldest automotive shows in America, surpassed only by events like the Detroit Auto Show, SEMA, and the Easter Jeep Safari. Once you’re through the gates you can expect around 150 vendors and community meetups with groups like Tread Lightly. The moment we walked into the event, I was overwhelmed with excitement to see so many vehicles and content creators I had been following for over a decade. Some notable examples included BJ Baldwin’s Pre-Runner named “Loki” and the Ford Raptor T1+ Dakar that managed a podium finish in its debut at the legendary rally. Adding to the excitement was the Proving Grounds where the creators of King of the Hammers let loose a fleet of Pre-Runners, Ultra4 cars, and a Cadillac CTS-V. I watched these machines drift around and launch off massive jumps on a custom concrete track. Compared to other events, Off-Road Expo doesn’t have the largest attendance or the most vendors, but it does have the highest level of pure excitement and adrenaline of any event I have been to. The cherry on top for this weekend is the annual unveiling of the Baja 1000 course which takes place in November. Unlike a regular racetrack the Baja route changes every single year so this reveal is the official starting gun for teams to map out their chase trucks and pit strategies. Dropping the map live at the expo gives the public its very first look at what kind of terrain the racers will face.
Hankook Dynapro at Off-Road Expo
Displayed in the Hankook Dynapro booth was Joel Dulac’s 1989 Suzuki Samurai, built to compete in the King of the Hammers Stock 4600 Class. On the opposite side of the booth, his brother Justin showcased his custom-chassis buggy from the Legends 4800 Class. Both rigs run Hankook Dynapro MT2s. Because each class at King of the Hammers enforces strict tire size restrictions, both drivers maxed out their limits. The Samurai sat on 35×12.50s while the buggy cleared the 4800 class limit with 37×12.50s. While much of the expo was filled with pristine show builds, seeing these two battle-scarred rigs was a great reminder of what the event is all about. It is awesome to see a massive brand like Hankook back a couple of young guys who are out there actively making their racing dreams come true.
Slide in Campers and Cantilever Suspension
The thing that stuck out to me the most was seeing two completely different worlds collide in one place. On one side you have million-dollar trophy trucks built to survive the Baja 1000. On the other you have slide-in campers from companies like Four Wheel Campers. Even though overlanding and hardcore off-road racing are entirely different hobbies this event brought them together through a shared passion for driving. It was also refreshing to see vehicles built as the right tool for the job. The current internet trend is to try and make your home on wheels fly through the air. I am definitely guilty of loving that trend but seeing builds stick to a clear purpose was a great change of pace. And honestly, any event that has cars drifting under an airborne trophy truck will have me itching to come back, year after year.
