[Aika Auto Shopping Guide Original]
Ken Block, the American rally driver, although he has not won the championship of WRC and other international competitions, his legend has always been there in the world. Because the surname Block can be translated as "brick", Chinese car fans affectionately call him "Uncle Brick". This year, as soon as Ken Block announced his breakup with Ford, which he had cooperated with for decades, Subaru and Audi lined up to come and play with him. Why is this 53-year-old boy so popular with car companies? Let us walk into his legendary life together.
Ford (Imported) Fiesta ST
In his early years, Ken Block worked as an architectural draftsman, but he soon got bored with it. "I like architecture because it is an art, but I hate the actual business of it. It takes a lot of money or 30-40 years of experience to climb to the top." Soon, Ken Block discovered that he was an "adrenaline junkie" and his passion for extreme sports was beyond imagination. With start-up capital borrowed from his parents, Ken Block and his friends founded the DC Shoes brand, dedicated to creating professional skateboarding and skiing equipment.
Ken Block's rally starting point was very high, but since then his performance has never made a qualitative breakthrough. After all, not everyone can become Loeb and Ogier. Ken Block's best result in Rally America was second place until 2010, when he scored points in the WRC for the first time.
An accidental opportunity brought Ken Block into contact with Gymkhana. He was attracted by this motor sport, which requires only an open space and stakes to plan countless running methods. Similar to rally racing, Gymkhana also involves a lot of tail-flicking and side-sliding operations, and Ken Block was at ease with it. In 2008, in order to participate in the local Gymkhana event in , California, Ken Block commissioned Crawford Performance to build a WRX STi racing car. Although the event was canceled for some reason, the creative video recorded by Ken Block driving this car allowed him to open a new chapter in his life.
In "Gymkhana 2", the sharp contrast between Ken Block's cool expression and the thrilling scene of drifting around corners with the handbrake on made the audience want to stop. The four-wheel drive itself has many restrictions on sliding. To float on paved roads, you need a very fast speed. Therefore, Ken Block spent a lot of money to modify the racing to make it have strong explosive power.
Ken Block丨Rally
Ken Block is a racing talent and a business genius. He is very good at using cross-border packaging to package himself. In 2009, his image appeared in the racing game "Colin McRae: Dirt 2", and he can also be seen in the subsequent " Dirt 3" and "Dirt: Showdown".
Ken Block intended to package the "Gymkhana" series into the much-anticipated "Car Spring Festival Gala". Since then, he and his team have paid more attention to the production level of the video. The atmospheric real-life scenes, impeccable multi-camera photography, smooth editing and a variety of creative gameplay allow car fans to experience speed and passion at any time.
At the same time, with the support of long-term sponsor Monster Energy, Ken Block set out to build his own team, Monster Energy World Rally Team. In 2013, the team was renamed Hoonigan Racing Division. The word Hoonigan evolved from hoon, which means "rampant driver" in Australian English slang.
It is worth mentioning that the person who rides a motorcycle and interacts with Ken Block in "Gymkhana 5" is Travis Pastrana. This young man who was born in Annapolis will appear twice in the following article.
Maybe "Gymkhana 9" is not as amazing as before, but it still perfectly demonstrates Ken Block's driving skills. In order to allow car fans to experience the beauty of drifting up close, Ford has produced a VR version of this video. People who own VR headsets should have fun.
"Gymkhana 10" is a phased summary of Ken Block's "Gymkhana" series. In addition to the car models and locations, the cast of this video has also been expanded. Oliver Solberg (only 16 years old when the video was released), Travis Pastrana, Rob Dyrdek, and Aaron Kaufman all appeared on stage to present a visual feast.
Ken Block said: “I like anything that can go fast, and electric cars can do that."What kind of sparks will those performance beasts with ultra-low centers of gravity collide with "Uncle Brick"? We should keep looking forward to it.
Editor's comment: In 2018 and 2019, Ken Block visited China twice. The first time was to promote the new Focus, and the latter time was to challenge the 99 turns of Tianmen Mountain. The mass base has gradually become solid. In Ken When Block came to China for the first time, my colleague was very lucky to sit in the passenger seat for a few minutes. You can click on the article below to review his journey. Now that "Uncle Brick" is over fifty years old, he is still active in the automotive industry and the Internet, and posts some Shows from time to time. The off video attempts to shock everyone's jaws, and this kind of ageless spirit will inspire the next generation of fans, just like the past.
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Ken Block丨Fun with Gymkhana
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