The loss of Ken Block in a snowmobiling accident on Monday has robbed rallying of so much more than a driver surely destined for an American maiden title in the next few years. Winning four rounds of the 2022 ARA and finishing second on two more, representing Ken’s strongest season ever.
But still, he missed out on that American crown he so badly desired. Along with Co-driver Alex Gelsomino and Hoonigan Racing division team manager Derek Dauntsey, the winter had no now been spent plotting away to source those missing seven points through 2023.
Kent would have been a force to be reckoned with in the season ahead is beyond question, and the ARA and the sport of rallying will be so much poorer without the globally recognized and adored 55-year-old.
Ken Block Snowmobile Accident
Ken Block, a renowned rally driver and founder of the car-culture organization Hoonigan, died unexpectedly in a devastating snowmobile accident. The 55-year-old Block was announced as dead on Hoonigan’s official Instagram account. The Instagram account also shared a post where Block was described as a pioneer, a visionary, and a cultural figure.
In Utah, Block went snowmobiling and posted pictures of the experience on his Instagram account. In a Facebook post, Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office in Utah verified Block’s passing. Police said that Block was riding in the Mill Hollow neighborhood outside of Woodland, U.S., on a steep slope.
Just before his death, his Twitter account had teased a new YouTube video of his daughter Lia, a member of his racing team, Hoonigan Racing. Block advertised Lia putting a classic Audi Quattro through its tests, promising some thrilling high-speed action.
Loved around the world as an Internet innovator, and the sight of him drifting a Fiesta between moving trams in San Francisco will live long in the memory. A hero, a legend, and a friend to all. We send our deepest sympathies to Kent’s family and to all who knew him right around the world.
Ken Block Career
Ken arrived rallying on the back of an extraordinarily successful business career in which he built DC shoes into one of the world’s biggest sporting brands. Shopping for a skateboard and a snowboard for a rally car delivered immediate success, with KB taking the Rookie of the Year title in his maiden American campaign in 2005.
Early the following year, he delivered his first outright win, guarding a Subaru Impreza WRX to a comfortable and confident victory on the rally of 100-acre wood.
There will be plenty more success on rallies, but friend, teammate, and rival Travis Pastrana stood between Block and that coveted US crown. 2010 delivered the opportunity Ken had been waiting for with a significant WRC program about a factory-spec Ford Focus.
Learning new rallies almost on a weekly basis, Ken demonstrates the speed required to bring top-ten finishes on events as diverse as Corsica and Rally GB.
Rarely more content than when he was at the wheel of a rally car, Ken was equally well known for his Gymkhana series, which ran across ten editions and gathered hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. He took the humble handbrake turn and made it into an Internet sensation.
His move from Subaru to Ford opened up the opportunity to experiment with different cars. That’s how he weaponized the 1965 Mustang and then, not content with 850 horsepower, bolted a couple of Garrett turbochargers on either side of the V8 to hike the power to a mind-blowing 1400.
Gymkhana grew alongside the Hoonigan brand, but rallying was always calling Ken, and 2022 presented the next exceptional opportunity at Hyundai I20 Coupe a WRC. Nobody led for longer or one more stage in last year’s ARA, but a final round accident and Brandon 7UP pipped into the title.
Plans were already in place for an ARA returned with a 2C competition run I20 rally two this season. But Ken’s time in the competition had evolved. It wasn’t just him anymore. His wife Lucy had competed for a few years, but in 2022 their then 15-year-old daughter Leah took to the stage as well, driving a Ford Fiesta Rally 4.
Nothing gave Ken greater pleasure than watching Leah embarrass drivers of more powerful machinery on her way to some jaw-dropping results, including astonishing top 10 finishes in Ohio and STPR.
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