K&N Brand Ambassador, Tony Pellegrino's Ultra4 Unlimited Class beast ready for race day! | Different people are fascinated by different things. Some are fascinated by art and music while others have an insatiable need to see what makes things tick or how they work. The simple act of taking a four-stroke apart can inspire and perhaps even mold a young mind. So is the case for a K&N Brand Ambassador and loyalist, Tony Pellegrino, whose father learned early on that it might be a good idea to keep his tools under lock and key if he ever had hopes of mowing the lawn again!Pellegrino, grew up in sunny Southern California and was afforded a very outdoorsy lifestyle. Tony’s dad, Jim Pellegrino, spent quality time with his 3 boys teaching them about the finer things in life, like how to ride a dirt bike, and that really cool things come with motors! In fact when Tony was just five years old he raced a little mini bike that his uncle Frank had built for him, complete with ape hanger bars at Conejo Valley Days, back when Conejo Valley Days had motorcycle races! At the age of twelve Tony would go on to be the youngest competitor on two wheels to race the legendary Barstow to Vegas 175 mile desert race. Who knows, he might still hold that record to date! 
Team GenRight getting the transmission repaired and replaced for race day | As a high schooler, Tony would hop in his car and cruise with his buddies on a Friday or Saturday night. He and his friends would show off their killer rides in hopes they might turn a head or two. Toward the end of high school, Pellegrino met a fellow car guy named Mike Kirby, who was extremely knowledgeable when it came to cars. Kirby built and raced his own cars and would go on to be a mentor and teacher for Tony.In his early twenties Tony met a young lady who would ultimately become his wife, the mother of their two boys and the yin to his yang in business. Debbie Youngers Pellegrino earned her degree in psychology from Chico State and later went on to study business. Nicknamed the Badass Boss Lady at GenRight Offroad, she’s responsible for anything to do with money! From ordinary tasks like paying the bills and keeping the shop lights on in their 45,000 square foot shop to making sure that GenRight Avenue is on the map at Hammertown. With a growing business comes growing responsibilities and Tony’s marketing prowess shows no signs in slowing the momentum of GenRight. 
Pellegrino chasing the competition down Back Door trail | For this family, stuff like camping, motorcycles, and off-roading is just a way of life. From four-wheeling from Santa Barbara to Solvang on their honeymoon to getting their oldest on a motorcycle at the age of 7, the Pellegrinos enjoy their life outdoors. But according to Pellegrino, with age comes a cage and in this case a Jeep. Before long Debbie and Tony found themselves checking out other Jeep builds and soaking up all they could with regards to modifications and improvements. Having experience in dirt bike riding and four-wheeling, Tony collected parts that folks would recommend and before long he discovered that too many of these parts simply didn’t work together. 
GenRight Team Drivers - Jordan, Jami, and Tony Pellegrino talking race prep | Always interested motorcycles & RC cars, a self-proclaimed motor head who loved working on cars, Tony founded GenRight in 2005. Born out of necessity for better parts for his own Jeep, GenRight has grown into a nationally recognized brand. An off-road vehicle builder, parts fabricator, and dealer with a reputation that stands up to its original concept and mission, Genuine Ideas Engineered Right. Over the years they have stretched and grown beyond their original investors, moved five times from the result of rapid business growth and were influential in growing the rock-crawling movement. But that doesn’t seem to phase this self-motivated, driven, and persistent business owner, it simply adds fuel to his fire. And to think it all started with a gas tank! 
Pellegrino once again picking the better line passing the competition on Jack Hammer | After hearing rumblings about a relatively new desert/rock crawling event, King of the Hammers, Tony headed back out to Johnson Valley with fresh eyes and his Jeep to check it out. While tooling around the lake bed and hitting a few trails, something Pellegrino was very familiar with, a guy by the name of Randy Slawson (Bomber Fabrication and 2x King) offered to give him a ride in his desert prepared car. Tony vividly recalls Randy suggesting that racing his Jeep at KOH was kinda like bringing a knife to a gunfight. So the next question became whether to build or buy a project car. The end result, buy a project car for Team GenRight to race at the next King of the Hammers in just three short months. After the first test day out on the lake bed with the car, the project became a tear down and total rebuild of epic proportions. Team GenRight couldn’t get back to the shop fast enough to get started on reworking the chassis, rebuilding the suspension, and creating a setup that would allow them to finish the race, much less on the podium. Team GenRight's Crew Chief, Darren Ruzicka, scrambled to prep the car for the next KOH race, testing the setup as they moved toward race day. The team went through three LS1 motors during testing and ultimately grabbed an LS1 out of a 5th Gen Camaro at the junkyard the week of the race. In the end, Tony Pellegrino was one of 100 entrants to start the 135 mile race, crossing the finish line in 14th place at the 2010 King of the Hammers event. 
Pellegrino showing how capable and nimble the GenRight Ultra4 Car is in the rough | KOH changes course every year. They use the same trails, but change the course configuration to keep the racers on their toes. Whether a figure eight, clover leaf, or running out of the main pit in the opposite direction, King of the Hammers is considered the toughest one-day off-road race in the world. It is the largest off-road race event in North America in terms of both competitors and spectators. In its 11th year, this world renowned event shows no signs of stopping any time soon. This year, 300 plus race teams along with more than 35,000 spectators converged on the Means Dry Lake Bed at the Johnson Valley Off Highway Vehicle Area in Lucerne Valley, California, from February 3rd to the 11th, featuring desert racing at its very best. 
Pellegrino and Rea twisting their way through the Full of Hate trail at King of the Hammers | 2017 marks Team GenRight's 8th running of the King of the Hammers. It's safe to say that GenRight was instrumental in helping to grow not only the GenRight brand but collaboratively the other brands and sponsors involved with KOH as the event has grown exponentially over the past few years. GenRight became involved with K&N in 2014 at the Off-Road Expo after a K&N Rep noted that his Ultra4 Car had a dinky little air intake, not nearly what he needed to get maximum airflow for all that horsepower. Now Tony runs two big K&N intakes improving the efficiency and performance of his 800hp motor. In fact, every Jeep, truck, UTV, or Ultra4 car they build comes equipped with a K&N intake and products. 
Pellegrino and Rea coming down Outerlimits Trail at the 2017 King of the Hammers | In 2015, Darren Ruzicka built Tony a brand new Ultra4 car. Every part has been CNC’d and nothing has been left to chance. This year they updated the transfer case, put in a new Reid Racing Turbo 400 racing transmission and torque converter. The new LS based motor is a solid Billet block by RHS, without a single Chevy part. Called a tall block, this normally aspirated 454 ci. uses fewer parts and boasts 755 lb-ft of torque. Perfect for trails like Backdoor and Chocolate Thunder. It also has 800hp, plenty of top end for reaching speeds upward of 130 mph in the open desert. Telemetry showed that Pellegrino got his Ultra4 car up to 118.8 mph out on that open desert, during this year's race. 
Pellegrino and Rea heading to the podium post race for a follow up interview and debriefing | Heat, environmental elements, and the nature of the race cause engine and suspension components to take a beating and can cause parts to rapidly deteriorate. To eliminate heat soak the engine compartment was reconfigured to allow for better airflow producing greater cooling. The team switched to Fox shocks along with bringing KMC Wheels on board for all three race cars, complete with Falken Wildpeak MT tires getting all that power to the boulders! The 2017 King of the Hammers saw the addition of a short course just off of main pit, used for last chance qualifying and Power Hour and an added benefit for spectators. Pellegrino would stage to qualify for his start position. His Ultra4 car was working flawlessly. The green flag dropped and he was on the throttle hard. It looked like it would be one of the fastest runs, only to end early after breaking a U-joint, resulting in a 113th start position for Tony on Friday. 
K&N Brand Ambassador, Tony Pellegrino with wife, Debbie all smiles after a successful race | King of the Hammers Ultra4 Unlimited Class race would start precisely at 8:00 a.m. on Friday. While Pellegrino's start position was less than ideal, he and his co-driver, Christopher Rea, would make the most of what lay ahead. Cars were staged in pairs and released every 30 seconds. Tony would have a start time of 8:28.00 and with the King crowned based on "time", Tony had as good a chance to be King as any of the other competitors. The strategy was to go fast, be smart and safe. His pit crew was ready and on point. This race can easily be won or lost in the pits. By mile marker 10 Tony had already passed a fellow competitor. This more than 200 mile race requires the driver to pace themselves, and take care throughout. Before Tony checked into Remote Pit 1, he had moved up substantially in the field. But there was no time to rest on his laurels and the team kicked into high gear to provide a flawless F1 style pit stop. He was back on course, kicking butt and taking names. The first run through Sledgehammer and Chocolate Thunder saw traffic and signs of carnage. Staying in the game, the experienced Pellegrino had the advantage when it came to the right line on the trails. Team spotters can make all the difference on technical trails. 
GenRight Ultra4 Unlimited Class Car with Pellegrino and Rea crossing the finish line | In the end Tony came from behind and passed 102 cars earning him and his co-driver Chris an astonishing and well deserved 11th place finish in his 8th running of KOH. His car performed better than ever and even though he didn't make the podium he feels like a winner being able to compete at this event and enjoy this experience and race with his boys. Team GenRight had three cars entered in the races, UTV Class, SmittyBilt Every Man Challenge, and the King of the Hammers. All three Pellegrino men, Tony, Jami, and Jordan, and their co-drivers (Chris Rea, Matt Lasher, and Gunnar Velasquez) finished and have memories that will last a lifetime. One Pellegrino did make the podium this past week. Jordan Pellegrino and Gunnar Velasquez qualified in pole position in the 4400 Class and were first to cross the finish line in their class. However, adjusted, official time had them 1 minute 26 seconds behind the first place finisher earning them a solid 2nd place finish, their second consecutive year, by about the same margin. Hats off to the Pellegrino's, their co-driver's and Team GenRight for their commitment to motorsports and their commitment to the K&N brand. 
Co-Driver Christopher Rea sharing his thoughts on the race and the finish | 
Team GenRight team driver's, crew members, volunteers, and family. Go Blue! | |
