Block, Kenneth Paul born on November 21, 1967, was an American rally driver who competed professionally for the Hoonigan Racing Division, formerly the Monster World Rally Team. Additionally, he participated in numerous action sports competitions, such as skateboarding, and motocross turned his business attention to Hoonigan Industries, an apparel line for auto fans, after surrendering his stake in DC Shoes. Before his passing, he served as the business’s co-owner and “Head Hoonigan In Charge” (HHIC).
BLOCK’S FAMILY
He married Lucy Block in July 2004. They have three children together, a son and two daughters
KEN’S MOTORSPORT CAREER.
Professional race car driver Ken Block was named Rally’s Rookie of the Year in 2005, with the Vermont SportsCar squad in 2005. Ken competed with a 2005 Subaru WRX STI that Vermont SportsCar had prepped. His debut rallying competition was SnowDrift, where he finished sixth in the Group N class and seventh overall. He finished in the top five times during the 2005 season, taking third place overall in the Group A class and fourth position overall in the Rally America National Championship. Ken received the Rally America Rookie of the Year honor at the conclusion of his debut rallying year.
Ken and Travis Pastrana, another member of the DC rally squad, agreed to a new sponsorship agreement with Subaru in 2006. The colleagues adopted the name “Subaru Rally Team USA” as a result of their agreement with Subaru. Block received a brand-new 2006 Subaru WRX STI prepared for Vermont SportsCar along with the start of the new rally season. At X Games XII, he participated in the inaugural X Games rally competition. He ultimately came in third place and won the bronze medal. He then participated in the 2006 Rally America National Championship, coming in second place overall.
Ken participated in the X Games XIII rally event in 2007 and finished in second place overall, earning a silver medal. Block placed third overall in the 2007 Rally America National Championship. He also participated in a few World Rally Championship rounds, including Rally Mexico and Rally New Zealand. Ken placed in the top five on two stages of the Rally New Zealand. He finished in 2007 with 19 podium finishes and 8 triumphs in rally competitions.
He went on and received a brand-new 2008 Subaru WRX STI that has been prepared for rallying in order to compete in 2008. Block decided to participate in the Canadian Rally Championship’s Rallye Baie-des Chaleurs to test out his new 2008 rally car and get ready for the World Rally Championships later in the year. At the competition, Ken won his first Canadian rally. This was the new car’s second outing. Because they lacked a Canadian competition license, Block and his co-driver were unable to earn any championship points at the competition. He then participated in the Rally New York USA competition and won. Ken and Dave Mirra tied for third place in the X Games XIV rally competition. This incident occurred because both competitors’ cars had problems. Block, who advanced to the event’s semifinals, experienced a radiator issue as a result of a clumsy jump landing. The medals were given to both of them since the bronze-place contenders’ damaged automobiles prevented them from competing.
The 2008 Rally America National Championship, which Block participated in, ended on October 17, 2008. With a convincing victory in the last race, he placed second overall in the competition. Ken won the stage of the Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR) by more than a minute over his nearest rival, placing him second overall. Ken would next compete in three World Rally Championship races this rally season. The 2008 Rally America National Championship, which Ken participated in, ended on October 17, 2008. He scored second in the competition with a convincing victory in the last race. He won the stage of the Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR) by more than a minute over his nearest rival, placing him second overall.
In 2009, he made an appearance on a Top Gear program about cars. Gymkhana 2, a popular YouTube video, was produced by him.
Block parted ways with Subaru in 2010 and joined Ford to drive a Ford Focus RS WRC alongside longtime co-driver Alex Gelsomino in the World Rally Championship on behalf of Monster World Rally Team. Block became the first American to compete in the World Rally Championship as a result. After placing ninth in Spain, he scored two points. Additionally, he competed in his fifth X Games and sixth season of the Rally America Championship in a Ford Fiesta open class. Block won the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood (Rally America) on February 27 for the fifth time in a row. John Buffum’s previous record was broken by this.
During the shakedown stage of the 2011 Rally de Portugal in Faro, Portugal, on March 23, Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino were involved in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC rollover and were subsequently transported to the hospital. Later, a member of the Monster World Rally crew confirmed that both individuals were okay. He earned 6 points by placing 8th in France and 9th in Wales.
Block did well in his first race of the 2013 season, finishing in the top ten in the Mexican rally to earn his first six championship points and record his best-ever seventh-place finish.
In 2014 Block once again had Castrol as his sponsor. He took part in the World Rally Championship in Catalonia, Spain. Up until the final stage, when he sustained a tire puncture and lost a lot of time, he was in 10th place. His final season at the WRC saw him finish in 12th place.
From 2011 to 2015, American rallycross competitor Block participated in the World RallyCross Championship. With six victories and 15 podiums, he was second in 2014[27], third in 2013 and sixth in 2012. He made a full comeback for the 2018 Americas Rallycross Championship, winning two podiums and finishing fourth in the standings
The Europe rallycross 2014, saw Block finish third in the FIA World Rallycross Championship’s Norway round and first in the European Rallycross Championship’s Norway round. Block made the decision to compete exclusively in the World Rallycross Championship for the 2016 campaign. Block earned his second podium in the championship at the German racetrack Hockenheimring by placing third in the Supercar Final. With the best finish of seventh in Britain in 2017, he finished ninth in points in 2017.
GYMKHANA
A series of videos created have amassed millions of views on YouTube. For the 2009 season of the BBC show Top Gear, Block brought James May to his stunt training at Inyokern Airport, a working airport in California that also included Ricky Carmichael. Block drove the Reliant Robin featured vehicle from the previous episode around the Top Gear test track in 2010. He was unharmed but was unable to finish a lap when the car rolled.
On August 24, 2010, Block released the first of a three-part Gymkhana 3 video release featuring his new Ford Fiesta.
On September 14, 2010, Block’s third Gymkhana video, featuring a Ford Fiesta, was released on YouTube. The video got more than seven million views in its first week.
On August 16, 2011, the fourth Gymkhana video, The Hollywood Megamercial was released on YouTube, featuring Block driving around the Universal Studios backlot.
On July 9, 2012, Block released his fifth Gymkhana video on YouTube, featuring Block driving his Ford Fiesta in San Francisco and Travis Pastrana on a dirtbike. After 24 hours, the video was viewed 5.1 million times, making it the top-viewed video of the previous week.
OTHER MOTORSPORT ACTIVITIES.
In 2005, Block, along with his DC Shoes associates, participated in the Gumball 3000 Rally. For the event, they sent out three modified 2004 Subaru WRX STIs sponsored by DC Shoes.
In 2006, Block competed in the One Lap of America competition along with Brian Scotto. They were teamed up in a 2006 Subaru WRX STI and finished forty-fifth overall.
Also In 2006, for the Discovery Channel show Stunt Junkies, Block jumped his Subaru WRX STI rally car 171 feet (52 m) and a max height of 25 feet (7.6 m).
In 2007, Block joined the DC Shoes Snowboarding team at New Zealand’s Snow Park. Block did massive jumps and assisted in snowboarding tricks while driving his rally car on the mountain alongside the snowboarders. A crash after landing a large jump cracked one of the vertebrae in his spine, he was flown to the hospital. The session made the cover of the December 2007 issue of Snowboarder Magazine and closed out the MTN.LAB 1.5 DV.
In 2010, Block co-founded Gymkhana Grid, a gymkhana race held annually around the world.
He won an all-wheel-drive event in 2014, beating Jake Archer in the final duel.
In 2021 Block raced in the Baja 1000 in the trophy truck class finishing in 4th.
Block also holds the world record for the world’s fastest snowcat, a modified Ford Raptor called the RaptorTrax.
Courtesy of Wikipedia.
VIDEO GAMES.
Ken Block made several appearances in various video games for example; He made three appearances in the Dirt racing video games produced by Codemasters. Block drives his Subaru Rally Team USA Impreza in Colin McRae: Dirt 2, which was released in 2009. He appears as a driver and gymkhana instructor in the 2011 video game Dirt 3. His Monster World Rally Team cars, such as the Ford Fiesta GYM 3 and the Ken Block Ford Focus WRC, are playable in the game. In 2012’s Dirt: Showdown, his Hoonigan/Monster Ford Fiesta makes numerous appearances, and his distinctive gymkhana driving style is demonstrated in the Head-to-Head and Trick Rush race modes as well as the Freestyle portion. In 2021, Block started a partnership with drag racing game CSR Racing 2.
Block’s Death
Professional American rally driver, Ken Block died yesterday at the age of 55 in a snowmobile accident. Reports from the Wasatch County (Utah) Sheriff’s Office indicate that the driver was riding a snowmobile on a steep slope when the snowmobile toppled over landing on top of him where he died on the spot.
The sad news was announced by Hoonigans Industries on Instagram, a company that he founded.
Ken Block began his rallying career in the year 2005 when he was named Rookie of the Year in the Rally America Championship. Further, he competed in the World Rally Championship severally winning awards. He took part in the X games and managed a podium finish for three consecutive years from 2006 to 2008.
Throughout his career, he took part in several motor and rally scenes across the world including the East Africa Safari Classic Rally. During this rally, he drove a highly customized Porsche 911 SC built by globally renowned experts at Tuthill Porsche. Tuthill Porsche documented Block’s participation in the 2022 East African Safari Classic Rally. The vehicle was later listed for sale by Collecting Cars in an online auction and is believed to have fetched millions.
He was known the world over for his signature stunts and incredible driving skills. Aside from rally competitions and championships, Block also competed in skateboarding and motocross.
Ken seems to have mentored her 16-year-old daughter to follow in his footsteps. In his last tweet, he had announced that he would post a video of his daughter Lia buying, tearing down, rebuilding, and driving her ‘85 Audi Ur Quattro.
His Youtube Channel, Hoonigans presently has over 5.3 Million subscribers. The most-watched video on the channel was the Gymkhana 2022 posted 3 weeks ago amassing over 12 Million views.
Block will surely be missed by fans from all over the world due to the massive contribution he made to the motoring scene as a whole while still entertaining his fans.
As spaceyamagari.com, we send our deepest and sincere condolences to his family. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
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