You never know what you’ll see at King of the Hammers, an off-road racing event held every year in the high desert of California. The big rigs, dubbed Ultra4 cars, are technologically impressive, but it’s the weird derivatives that really get me going. It was inevitable that we’d get a group of misfits pitting three-wheelers against one another on a small circle-of-death track in the loosely organized Ultra3 races, but I never thought I’d see Ultra1.
Enter Seth Johnson and Amped Electric Games. He and his tribe of electric unicycle (EUC) disciples have been tearing up the EUC life since 2022, hosting and live streaming races all around the country, nay, the planet, in the hope of bringing some zen to the world.
When I first heard that EUCs were in Hammertown – the name for the city that pops up on Means dry lake bed every year – I thought they would look like clown unicycles, the kind you see at the circus with some red-nosed performer juggling bowling pins or something. Nope! These things are compact and meant to be stood on, not sat upon. And they aren’t the kind with a skateboard platform either. These are wheels with a foot peg on either side and that’s it.
There are plenty of different types to choose from on Johnson’s website, with motors ranging from 750 watts to 4,500 watts. Some are meant for high-speed on a flat surface while others are focused on more torque to go up and down hills. You can opt for smooth tires or knobby off-road tires and battery sizes can range from a dinky 375 wH with 10 miles of range to 4,400 wH that can last for over 100 miles. Depending on your size and speed, of course. You’ll spend about $500 for an entry-level model to nearly $4,500 for a wheel with the biggest battery and motor.
The first Ultra1 race was a sprint around the racing short course. Decked out in helmets and body armor, riders got a bit of air on the jumps as they sprinted around the rutted dirt track. However, it was the race down a trail called Short Bus that really showed the skill– and fearlessness– of the riders.
I can’t emphasize enough how steep this trail is. When you drive up it in a vehicle, all you see is sky. When you drive down your entire weight is pressed against your five-point harness as gravity takes you on a nearly uncontrollable ride. There are rocks everywhere, some as big as a Volkswagen Beetle, some hidden just below the dirt surface, ready to destroy man and machine. And that’s before the Ultra4 cars with 40-inch tires had chewed it up the trail into a soft, silty, whooped-out mess on their qualifying run.
Still, these brave riders rode to the top on their EUCs, took a deep breath and plunged down the course. There are no handlebars to grip, no cage protecting them, yet they willingly defied death racing down Short Bus. A few fell off and stumbled into the silt, smacking knees and elbows on the rocks, but each got right back on to their unicycle to finish the race.
At the Ultra1 booth I got the chance to try out a mid-range EUC and it is a workout. After just a few minutes my calves were screaming and my core was yelling at me to just give up and go get an ice cream. Put the weight on your toes and you’ll go forward, the weight on your heels and you’ll go backwards. I never quite figured out how to come to a complete stop, but turning is done by twisting your body.
I ventured away from the makeshift railing and smooth surface inside the booth to what a moment before I thought was the pancake-flat lakebed. How could I have missed all these rocks? While walking they don’t even register. While clinging to the arm of an Ultra1 volunteer, teetering on this electric one-wheeler, every rock seemed like an insurmountable death trap. All I could think about was not eating shit in the next five feet of travel.
It turns out that’s the exact feeling Johnson wants every rider to have – pure zen concentration. In fact, what I thought would be a 15-minute chat about the specs of the unicycles turned into a 45-minute discussion about mental health in America and how EUCs can fundamentally change people. Johnson believes that being atop an EUC forces past problems and future worries to fade into the background. It’s all about what is happening right now, in this moment.
“We have a mental health crisis in this country,” he said. “Through my travels in the past three years all over the world, riders have all had the same experience. They’ve had PTSD, social anxiety, alcoholism (raises hand)…there is something about unlocking this natural high when you’re riding these vehicles that is unmatched by any of those other substances.”
I’m fortunate enough to not suffer from any kind of addiction, but I will say that I experience that same kind of focus when racing my lifted Miata. Intrusive thoughts come in, but in order to not crash, I have to push them out and focus on the race course ahead of me. I completely understand where Johnson is coming from, although I do it with four wheels, not one.
Still, he is adamant. “I really feel strongly that getting more people on wheels can change the world.” If you’d like to race Ultra1, you can just show up with your wheel, whatever the brand. The crew will be at Arizona Bike Week in April, Myrtle Beach Bike Week and HyperFest in May and the world-famous Sturgis Rally in August. Just be sure to bring your own helmet.
