♦The news has been announced via the Hoonigans Instagram feed. Ken Block, 55, passed away due to an accident while snowmobiling today. The account on his personal Instagram account included photos of the snow of Park City, Utah, over the weekend.
♦Block was in a long-term collaboration together with Ford Performance before moving to Audi in 2021.
♦In a post that was posted to the rally driver Ken Block’s Hoonigans Instagram account tonight, Hoonigans posted: “It’s with our deepest regrets that we are able to verify the fact that Ken Block passed away in an accident with a snowmobile today.
Ken was a visionary, pioneer as well as an iconic figure. Most importantly, he was the husband and father of his children. He will be greatly missing.
Please respect the privacy of the family during this difficult time as they grieve.”
An enlightened life in fast-forward
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Loss of Ken Block is inconceivable. Ken Block was more than an athlete or TV persona; he changed the automobile culture. The short biography of his life is enough to be impressive.
After co-founding and launching the successful skate shoe business DC Shoes, Ken Block was inspired to take on rally racing, influenced by his buddy Travis Pastrana.
He was just 40 at the time and in less than a year, was ranked in the top 10 of his class.
He was living life fast-forward along with his the winning team-driver Alex Gelsomino, medaling at the X Games, and participating in five different rally competitions throughout the following two decades.
In the meantime the driver was on shows on television like Top Gearand Stunt Junkies and participating in events that were one-off such as One Lap of America.
Perhaps the most transformative for Block and for us all is the start in the Gymkhana video series that was conceived as a marketing tool for DC.
It’s difficult to think back to the time prior to Block’s Gymkhana in the days before “drift” towards the masses was something only tectonic plates could do and, if you owned an Subaru then you couldn’t even have the courage to wake up to go for an Mustang or even one that was a lowrider.
Block was not the only one to blur the boundaries between car cultures and racing disciplines however, no one could have done it with a wider number of viewers.
Block’s Gymkhana video series muddled auto culture to the good by encouraging a variety of interests and informing young drivers about exotic models and famous roads like Pikes Peak.
Block’s remarkable car control pulled us into his world however the reason we keep coming back is his genuine passion and joy not only of his cars and expertise, but of all the other riders, drivers as well as those who were who are behind the camera capturing the footage.
Block’s enthusiasm was infectious and it was evident that he was eager to share it with the world.
Ken Block lived life unbound. He combined skateboarding and rally cars and lowriders.
He effortlessly shifted from the role of a marketing business mogul and father. In fact, he didn’t comply with the laws of gravity. His impact was crucial and will be lost.
Block was survived by his wife Lucy Block, and their three children.
Officials’ Preliminary Information
The Wasatch County (Utah) Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that its 911 call center got an inquiry at around 2 p.m. the following day that there was an accident with a snowmobile, and Search and Rescue and personnel from the Sheriff’s Office, the Utah State Parks as well as the U.S. Forest Service all came to the rescue.
The post read: “The driver, Kenneth Block 55-year-old male from Park City, Utah, was riding a snowmobile up an extremely steep slope when the snowmobile crashed and landed on top of the snowmobile.
Rally Driver Ken Block Killed
He died in the aftermath of the accident due to injuries caused by the collision. The deceased Mr. Block was riding with an entourage, but was on his own at the time of the incident.
“The State Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause of the death.
We are deeply saddened by the news about the passing of Kenneth and our thoughts will be with the family members and loved ones, who are deeply affected.
We are grateful to all of those who responded to our call for help and their ongoing assistance.”
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