Ken Block: A Rally Legend
Published on Feb 19, 2025. Written by Andy Wasif.
It could be said that one cannot truly measure a man’s contribution to the world until he’s gone. Ken Block was one of those rare exceptions who lived so fearlessly that his greatness was recognized in real time. He is perhaps best known as a motorsport content creator for his Gymkhana series of YouTube videos, but has also been recognized and celebrated as a rally racer, shoe designer, and businessman. He was truly one-of-a-kind, building a legacy of success in everything he did.
A need for adrenaline drew a young Ken to hobbies involving speed and wheels. Growing up in Long Beach, California, Ken originally wanted to be a skateboarder, but upon moving with his family to San Diego, he started to mess around with dirt bikes. His knowledge of action-sports culture and insight into athletes’ preferences inspired him, along with designer Damon Way and Clayton Blehm, to found DC Shoes in 1994, specializing in skateboarding and snowboarding products. Marketing their high-quality line with a stable of sponsored athletes, the venture paid off in a big way.
This endeavor was such a success—with annual revenues north of $100 million—that in 2004, iconic surf brand Quiksilver bought it for $87 million. The windfall allowed Block to begin pursuing his true passion—rally racing—at age 37. Driving a 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI in Rally America, he conquered 126 miles of snow-covered terrain to finish seventh in his first event. With that start, it’s no wonder he was named Rookie of the Year in the Rally America Championship.
Block’s success continued at the X Games, where he won five rallycross medals over nine years. At X Games XIII in 2007, Block even managed to defeat his idol, Scottish rally legend Colin McRae.
With achievements and milestones piling up, Block left the Subaru Rally Team USA and his longtime teammate Travis Pastrana to join Ford, founding the Monster World Rally Team in 2010. Behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta RS WRC, his team got points, podiums, and wins. Soon after, in keeping with his talents as a marketer, the team was renamed “Hoonigan Racing Division” to match his blossoming new lifestyle and media brand.
In fact, it is as an influencer that Block may be most well known. He built a huge following with a series of Gymkhana videos that featured sequence drifting, tire burnouts, and stunts. The term gymkhana originally referred to displays of athletics and equestrian skills in an area similar to a racquetball court, or a “gedkhana” as it was called in 19th-century India.
Gymkhana was more than just content for viewers; it showed the automotive industry what was possible through its daring and creativity. It also introduced the world to Ken’s skillful driving, insatiable passion, and affable personality in videos like the Top Gear segment called “Ken Block Drifts London,” where Ken gives host Matt LeBlanc a high-octane driving tour of the city. The Amazon Prime Original Series The Gymkhana Files, a documentary about the making of Gymkhana 10, has earned four Emmy nominations. At press time, the channel has amassed over 1.3 billion views. (That’s “billion” with a “b” as my old financial advisor would say.)
In 2014, Block conceived of his most recognizable car, the “Hoonicorn,” a heavily modified 1965 Mustang equipped with a methanol-injected 6.7-L twin-turbo V-8 making 1400 horsepower in its ‘V2’ configuration, sending it from 0-60 in 1.8 seconds. The car, along with a few other of Block's vehicles, became so iconic to the automotive community that Forza collaborated with Block to introduce it into their games.
Block rallied until 2022 after making 25 appearances in the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) World Rally Championship and retired as the 4th American to ever score points. His overall record includes wins in the European Rallycross Championship and Global Rallycross, and a podium finish in the World Rallycross Championship.
Sadly, Block died at age 55 in 2023 in a snowmobile accident near his home in Utah, leaving such a large hole in the sport. His death stunned his peers and fans alike, but it’s what he left behind that will never be forgotten. “Such a talent that did so much for our sport,” said Jenson Button, 2009 Formula One world champion. The Petersen recognized as much when, in 2013, they honored Block with the Petersen Automotive Inspiration award at the Petersen’s Rock, Roll, Rally Gala.
Ken Block lived a life of adrenaline. He set the bar across a variety of vocations, but especially for those who seek speed behind the wheel. For a kid who started on a skateboard and became everything from an Emmy nominee to a successful entrepreneur to an X Games medalist, Ken Block cemented his mark on the world every step of the way.
Visit The People’s Champ: The Impact of Ken Block Exhibit
Walk through the story of Ken Block in-person at the Petersen Automotive Museum
A motorsports icon and pioneer of automotive content in the age of online media, rally driver and DC Shoes co-founder Ken Block utilized his marketing acumen, driving expertise, and automotive enthusiasm to create the enormously popular Gymkhana video series and Hoonigan, an automotive lifestyle brand and production company that has captivated audiences for over a decade.
This exhibit honors Block’s legacy through a display of his most iconic vehicles and memorabilia like racing suits, helmets, wheels, DC Shoes, and Hoonigan merchandise from key moments in his career.
