Remember the adage about the family that plays together? If you count racing as playing, then the Pellegrinos, Tony, Debbie, Jami, and Jordan, are stuck with each other. This racing family has been speeding across the desert together for over 25 years.
Tony Pellegrino was raised on a dirt bike exploring the California desert. So when he met and married the ready-for-adventure Debbie, it was only natural for them to keep up the tradition with their own kids. Jami and Jordan have spent so much time with their parents in the Mojave Desert, Johnson Valley specifically, that it might as well be their second home.
It’s not just that the family loves the desert and craves speed. Life seemed to conspire to point this family toward the grueling King of the Hammers race, a challenge that only the most elite teams with the worthiest cars can hope to finish.
In 2006 Tony founded GenRight Offroad, dedicated to manufacturing the highest quality aftermarket Jeep parts and accessories. With an unwavering commitment to quality, Tony knew he’d have to test each part before he could be confident offering it for sale to other off-road enthusiasts.
So he found himself out in the desert each weekend designing, testing and developing parts worthy of the GenRight name. This meant he was driving hard and fast, literally seeking each piece’s breaking point. And of course, the family was right there with him.
It makes sense, that this extreme driving style would lead Tony to the King of the Hammers off-road race in 2009, the second official year of the event. He’s been racing with the growing pack of cars and drivers ever since, finishing the race four times (a major accomplishment when the majority of drivers do not cross the finish line) and placing an impressive second in both 2011 and 2014.
Racing is fun, but for Tony, it’s having his wife and kids with him that makes it all worth it. Pulling off a race like KOH definitely takes the support of an entire team, which Debbie leads. She not only co-manages the business, allowing Tony the seat time he needs to be competitive, but she also manages the pit-crew on race day, making sure that everybody is in place doing their jobs.
One of those jobs is filming the race, and that is handled expertly by oldest son Jami. With his keen eye and natural talent, he produces most of the media for the race team. He works tirelessly to get his shot and to edit for highest impact. Jami also races in the Ultra4 UTV class, including racing KOH.
Also at KOH, second son Jordan races in the Every Man Challenge, or 4500 class. With racing in his blood, Jordan is a true competitor. Pushing himself and his car to the limit, he took second place in 2016 and is looking for that first place finish in 2017.
Following the family tradition of driving hard and sticking together, that goal is well within reach.