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Remembering Ken Block
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Remembering Ken Block

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Remembering Ken Block

On Monday, January 2, 2023 Ken Block passed away at the age of 55 in a snowmobiling accident.

As a driver, drifter, racer and much more, Block was an icon in the motorsports world. Drifting and rallycross racing lost its Dale Earnhardt. These are some memories that we’ll remember him by.

Ken Block made waves in the world that outstretched motorsports.

In 2008, Block’s ‘Gymkhana Practice’ video went viral being seen by more than 20 million people around the world. It features him drifting at a practice course, making circles around a person on a segway, and also his signature hairpin turn.

Riding the wave of fans encapsulated with his skills, Block and his team created and produced a sequel titled Gymkhana 2: The Infomercial. As things always went with Block, he went bigger in this edition, drifting in tighter spaces and also under a semi which was set to explode as he slid underneath it.

In the video, him and DC Shoes co-founder Rob Dyrdek promoted their company and it garnered over 42 million views.

Block would then appear on Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory TV show, which aired on MTV.

The pair made a mini-episode of the series called Gymkhana 2.1 teasing a third episode in the making in the process.

At this point, Ken Block was as established as a drifter could be, and he took his 2011 Ford Fiesta international to Linas at l’Autodrom de Linas-Montlhery, a race track with 51-degree banking in the corner.

Block ripped around the track in his car with the wrap featured on the video game cover of Dirt 3. By the end of the video, there was no rubber left on the tires.

In Gymkhana 4, Block took to Universal Studios and made a stunt film, drifting around construction vehicles in motion.

Gymkhana 5 featured Block drifting around famous streets in San Francisco as well as on a ship and it saw 54 million viewers online.

The sixth edition brought a Gymkhana grid course into the mix and promoted a new edition of the Need for Speed video game franchise.

In Gymkhana 7, Block and his team modified a 1965 Ford Mustang which he would take around the city of Los Angeles and once again underneath cars. The creativity again saw a heap of unimaginable (if you don’t know Ken Block) progression.

It created some of the most iconic clips in his career.

He took to Dubai in Gymkhana 8…

And then stole the show with a rallycross car – the one he raced in – in Gymkhana 9.

In the pseudo-finale of the series, Block puts on a five-part play complete with different locations around the world, titled ‘The Ultimate Tire Slaying Tour.’

But there’s always more fun to be had with Ken Block.

In recent years, he’s climbed up Pikes Peak and Tianman Mountain, drove around London with actor Matt LeBlanc, and brought in Travis Pastrana to jump a helicopter.

He’s had more unforgettable moments than someone could count, like when he diced it up with Formula 1’s Lewis Hamilton.

Or in the full Gymkhana grid in 2019.

And through all of it he displayed this constant skill of precision that only the best pilots in the world possess.

When tragedy like this occurs, it’s important to look back at the memories made on the way. Block’s last YouTube video, though, gives a look into who he was and still is today, telling the story of his 2022 rally season in docustyle form.

Block’s daughter, Lia, has been following in her father’s footsteps and was scheduled to release a new video on Tuesday. Obviously the release may be postponed, but if she’s anything like her dad, she’ll be a household name in the near future.

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