Ken Block

Ken Block
Block in 2010
Nationality	American
Born	(1967-11-21) November 21, 1967 Long Beach, California, U.S.
Rally America career
Debut season	2004
Current team	Hoonigan Racing Division
Best finish	2nd Overall in Rally America in 2006, 2008, and 2013
Awards
2004[1] 2005[1] 2009	• One of the most influential people (#17) in Sports Business Journal • Ad Age's Marketing 50 • One of the Fast 50 in Fast Company Magazine • 40 Under 40 Awards, Sports Business Journal • Rally America's Rookie of the Year • Gymkhana 2 was 2009's #4 most viewed viral video

Ken Block (born November 21, 1967)^[2] is a professional rally driver with the Hoonigan Racing Division, formerly known as the Monster World Rally Team. Block is also one of the co-founders of DC Shoes.^[1] Block has also competed in many action sports events including skateboarding, snowboarding, and motocross. Since selling his ownership of DC Shoes, Block has shifted his business focus to Hoonigan Industries, an apparel brand for auto enthusiasts. He is currently the co-owner and Head Hoonigan In Charge (HHIC) at the company.

Business

Damon Way and Ken Block after the two met during a community college class and launched a series of startups. The two friends started Eightball clothing, Blunt Magazine, Type A Snowboards, and Droors clothing over the subsequent years. Droors Clothing then became DC Shoes in 1993. By 1995, the companies revenue had hit $7 Million in sales.

Rallying

2005

In 2005, Block began his National rallying career with the Vermont SportsCar team.^[3] Vermont SportsCar prepared a 2005 Subaru WRX STi for Block to compete. His first event of the rallying season was Sno*Drift, where he ended up finishing seventh overall and fifth in the Group N class.^[4] During the 2005 season, Block had five top five finishes and placed third overall in the Group A class and fourth overall in the Rally America National Championship.^[3] At the end of his first rallying year, Ken Block had won the Rally America Rookie of the Year award.^[5]

2006

In 2006, Block along with his DC rally teammate Travis Pastrana signed a new sponsorship deal with Subaru.^[3] Through this deal with Subaru, the teammates became known as "Subaru Rally Team USA."^[3] With the new rally season, Block also got a brand new Vermont SportsCar prepped 2006 Subaru WRX STi.^[3] He competed in the first ever X Games rally event at X Games XII.^[3] In the competition, Block ended up finishing third to take the bronze.^[3] He went on to compete in the 2006 Rally America National Championship, where he finished second overall.^[3]

2007

In 2007, Block competed in the X Games XIII rally event, where he placed second overall and won a silver medal.^[5] In the 2007 Rally America National Championship, Block finished third overall.^[5] During this season, Block also entered in a few rounds of the World Rally Championship; Rally Mexico and Rally New Zealand.^[4] In Rally New Zealand, Block recorded two top-five stage times in the Group N class.^[4] At the end of 2007, Block had achieved 19 podiums and 8 overall victories in rally events.^[1]

2008

In 2008, Block was provided with a brand new rally prepped 2008 Subaru WRX STi to compete. Block decided to compete in the Rallye Baie-des Chaleurs of the Canadian Rally Championship to gain some experience with his new 2008 rally car and prepare for the World Rally Championships later in the year.^[6] Block gained his first Canadian rally win at the event.^[6] This was only the second event for the new car.^[6] Block and his co-driver were unable to get any championship points at the event due to not having a Canadian competition license.^[6] Block competed in the Rally New York USA competition and finished in first place.^[7] In the X Games XIV rally competition, Block finished tied for third place with Dave Mirra.^[8] This occurrence was due to both competitors having issues with their car. Block, who made it to the semi-finals of the event, had a radiator problem after landing the car awkwardly on a jump. With both bronze place competitors in damaged cars unable to compete, the medals were awarded to both of them.^[8]

Block competed in the 2008 Rally America National championship, which concluded on October 17, 2008. In the event, he finished second overall with a strong victory in the last event. In the Lake Superior Performance Rally stage, Block finished over one minute ahead of his next closest competitor and secured the second overall position.^[9] Next up for Block this rally season is three World Rally Championship events.^[4]

2009

Block appeared in a segment of motoring show Top Gear.^[10] Block filmed the hit YouTube video "Gymkhana 2", making the most viral video of 2009, as well as selling more DC shoes with this "informercial" .

2010

On January 6, 2010 the Monster World Rally Team announced Block as their driver for selected rounds of the World Rally Championship, in which he will be campaigning the Monster/Ford Racing Focus RS WRC 08. His car will be prepared and run by the North of England based M-Sport, who also prepare the official Ford WRC cars. He will be simultaneously running in his sixth season of the Rally America Championship in an open class Ford Fiesta, as well as his fifth X-games. Block will also be the first ever American driver to campaign for the World Rally Championship. On February 27, Block won the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood (Rally America) for the 5th consecutive time. This broke the record held by John Buffum.^[11] Block is currently being trained by former Ford factory driver Markko Märtin. At the Spain rally, he won his first 2 points in World Rally Championship.

2011

On March 23, Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino were taken to hospital, having rolled their Ford Fiesta RS WRC during the shakedown stage of the 2011 Rally de Portugal in Faro, Portugal.^[12] A representative of the Monster World Rally team later stated that both men were fine.^[13]

2013

On his first race of 2013 season Block got a great result entering in the top-ten of the Mexican rally, thus he gets his first six points for the championship and score a best-ever 7th overall finish.^[14][15]

2014

Ken Block participated in the WRC located in Catalunya, Spain. He was in 10th place until the last stage where he suffered a tire puncture and lost a significant amount of time. He would finish in 12th position.

Motorsports career results

Complete Rally America results

(key)

Year	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	DC	Points
2005	Subaru Impreza WRX STi	SNO 5	ORE 7	SUS 3	PIK 4	MAI 3	OJI Ret	COL 4	LSP 3		4th	65
2006	Subaru Impreza WRX STi	SNO 3	ACR 1	ORE 3	SUS Ret	MAI 11	OJI Ret	COL Ret	LSP 1	WIL 3	2nd	90
2007	Subaru Impreza WRX STi	SNO 6	ACR 1	ORE 2	OLY 4	SUS Ret	NEW 3	OJI 2	COL 1	LSP Ret	3rd	109
2008	Subaru Impreza WRX STi	SNO 5	ACR 1	OLY 1	ORE Ret	SUS Ret	NEW Ret	OJI Ret	COL 5	LSP 1	2nd	86
2009	Subaru Impreza WRX STi	SNO Ret	ACR 1	OLY Ret	ORE Ret	SUS 1	NEW 2	OJI Ret	COL Ret	LSP 3	4th	80
2010	Ford Fiesta	SNO Ret	ACR 1	OLY Ret	ORE Ret	SUS Ret	NEW Ret				12th	27
2012	Ford Fiesta ST	SNO	ACR 1	ORE	SUS	NEW	OLY 1				4th	44
2013	Ford Fiesta ST	SNO 6	ACR Ret	ORE 2	SUS 1	NEW 1	OJI 1	LSP Ret			2nd	93
2014	Ford Fiesta ST	SNO	ACR 1	ORE	SUS	MTW	NEW	OJI	LSP		13th	22

*Season in progress

Complete WRC results

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	WDC	Points
2007	Ken Block	Subaru Impreza WRX STI	MON	SWE	NOR	MEX 28	POR	ARG	ITA	GRE	FIN	GER							NC	0
	Rally FaNZ												NZL 56	ESP	FRA	JPN	IRE	GBR
2008	Subaru Rally Team USA	Subaru Impreza WRX STI	MON	SWE	MEX	ARG	JOR	ITA	GRE	TUR	FIN	GER	NZL 30	ESP	FRA	JPN	GBR		NC	0
2010	Monster World Rally Team	Ford Focus RS WRC 08	SWE	MEX 18	JOR	TUR 24	NZL	POR Ret	BUL	FIN	GER Ret	JPN	FRA 12	ESP 9	GBR 21				19th	2
2011	Monster World Rally Team	Ford Fiesta RS WRC	SWE 14	MEX 12	POR DNS	JOR	ITA	ARG 18	GRE	FIN	GER 17	AUS 19	FRA 8	ESP Ret	GBR 9				22nd	6
2012	Monster World Rally Team	Ford Fiesta RS WRC	MON	SWE	MEX 9	POR	ARG	GRE	NZL 9	FIN Ret	GER	GBR	FRA	ITA	ESP				28th	4
2013	Hoonigan Racing Division	Ford Fiesta RS WRC	MON	SWE	MEX 7	POR	ARG	GRE	ITA	FIN	GER	AUS	FRA	ESP	GBR				20th	6
2014	M-Sport World Rally Team	Ford Fiesta RS WRC	MON	SWE	MEX	POR	ARG	ITA	POL	FIN	GER	AUS	FRA	ESP 12	GBR				NC	0

PWRC results

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Pos.	Points
2008	Subaru Rally Team USA	Subaru Impreza WRX STI	SWE	ARG	GRE	TUR	FIN	NZL 13	JPN	GBR	NC	0

Complete World Rallycross Championship results

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	WRX	Points
2014	Hoonigan Racing Division	Ford Fiesta ST RX43	POR	GBR	NOR 3	FIN	SWE	BEL	CAN	FRA 4	GER	ITA	TUR	ARG	16th	32

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 STi's sponsored by DC Shoes.^[16][17]

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.^[18]

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).^[3] The whole episode was dedicated to Block attempting this stunt.

In 2007, Block joined the DC Shoes Snowboarding team at New Zealand's Snow Park.^[3] Block did massive jumps and assisted in snowboarding tricks while driving his rally car on the mountain alongside the snowboarders. The session made the cover of the December 2007 issue of Snowboarder Magazine and closed out the MTN.LAB 1.5 DVD.^[3]

In 2009, for the BBC show Top Gear, Block took James May out for Gymkhana-style driving at Block's stunt course at Inyokern Airport, an operational California airport, also starring Ricky Carmichael. In 2010 Block took the feature car from the previous episode (a Reliant Robin) for a lap of the Top Gear test track. He rolled the car and was unable to complete a lap but was unhurt.

On October 15, 2009, it was reported that Block was close to a deal to join the World Rally Championship in a new Ford team. Long time co-driver Alex Gelsomino is also reportedly involved in the deal. Former Subaru WRC driver Chris Atkinson has been reported to be lined up as Block's team-mate in the all-new Monster Energy Drink Ford World Rally Team.^[19]

On January 6, 2010, the announcement is made as Block joins up with Ford and begins his WRC career driving both a Ford Fiesta and Focus RS WRC.

On August 24, 2010, Block released the first of a three part Gymkhana 3 video release featuring his new Ford Fiesta.^[20]

On September 14, 2010, Block's third Gymkhana video, featuring a Ford Fiesta, was released on YouTube.^[21] 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.^[22]

On July 1, 2012, Block took the Silver Medal for Rallycross at X Games XVIII behind Sébastien Loeb.

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.^[23]

Block also holds the world record for the world's fastest snow cat, a modified Subaru STI called a Trax STI.

Involvement in Colin McRae: Dirt 2 and Dirt 3

Block is featured as a driver in Codemasters Colin McRae: Dirt 2, along with his Subaru Rally Team USA Impreza. In Dirt 3 he is seen as a driver and Gymkhana teacher, his Monster World Rally Team vehicles are available in the game, including the Ford Fiesta GYM 3, and the Ken Block Ford Focus WRC.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ken Block.

• Hoonigan - Official Site
• Hoonigan Racing Division - Official site
• Monster World Rally Team
• Rally Results and News
• Subaru Rally Team USA
• Rally America Website
• Ken Block Official Merchandise
• Ken Block Interview
• Gymkhana racing improved by Ken Block, Video, ~4min
• dirt2game.com