On the Limit: Ken Block and Rally

Posted on 19. Nov, 2008 by Dean in Features, RA 2008, Tall Pines 2008

Four years ago, a brand new driver
arrived at the Rally of the Tall Pines for his rally debut. After an
off road excursion that ended his event, the driver left Bancroft and
didn't return until 2007. In the years between events, that driver
went from an unknown to one of the top names in North American rally.

Ken Block has been a fan of rallying
since first seeing it as a kid. The experience galvanized his
interest in the sport and set the stage for the development of his unique rally career.

“I remember seeing rally on TV and
being amazed by how fast they would go, flat out over fast roads.
That's what has been ingrained in me,” explained Block. The Subaru
Rally Team USA driver is known for his flat out speed. Excelling on
fast, open courses, Ken has worked this style to win some of the
fastest rallies in North America, including the 100 Acre Wood three
years in a row.

Since getting started at Tall Pines in
2004, Block has run over fifty rallies, including select WRC events
and other international events in New Zealand and the UK and Mexico.

“I love driving rally cars, I mean, I
just love it! I love being in the rally car. I just show up to win,
not just podium. I want to be at the top.”

While Block has proved to be amazingly
fast, he has never won an outright championship. That could all
change this weekend at the Rally of the Tall Pines, where Ken Block
and Antoine L'Estage are vying for the North American Rally Cup.

“It's all about the battle with
Antoine, the challenge,” says Block. “Antoine has had great
success at Pines, and I have only failed there. It's probably the
most technical rally in North America.”

Block has been working hard to become a
better driver, developing his driving technique as well as the
supporting skills of writing pacenotes and learning how to recce. He
has traveled to events in New Zealand, Mexico and Great Britain to
gain experience in these areas. He has also come north of the border,
most recently for Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs in June where he won the
event. Ken has done almost every rally with co-driver Alex Gelsomino,
and the pair have a great relationship in the car.

“Two pass recce is the biggest
challenge for me, because I don't have much chance to do that in the
US. Really, the understanding of the road is the difference between a
good driver and a great driver.”

While in New Zealand in 2007, Block
took his rally car to Snow Park, a massive snowboard park where he
sessioned the jumps and slopes alongside DC sponsored athletes. Block
has also pushed the limits of what a rally car can do, jumping 171
feet for a the Stunt Junkies TV show and most recently performing a
simultaneous double jump with teammate Travis Pastrana backflipping
over his Subaru. Gymkhana is his latest interest – a sport requiring
the utmost in car control. To see what Ken can do, just check out his
latest video below!

Ken Block is also one of the brains
behind the DC Shoe Company. A huge brand in extreme sports, the brand
covers skateboarding, snowboarding as well as lifestyle and
motorsport. A co-founder and now Chief Brand Officer, Block has
played a role in the creation and growth of the company since day
one. Working to make sure that the design and marketing of their
products fits their target audience, Ken knows a thing or two about
how to build a brand. So for a guy who has this sort of
understanding, one might wonder what rallying in North America needs
to do to continue it's growth.

“I get asked that a lot,” laughs
Block, “but there's no magic crystal ball for that. In North
America, stadium sports seem to do really well. Just look at
football, basketball or NASCAR. For rallying, which isn't a stadium
sport, a quality TV show is critical. Rallying is a very unique,
youthful, touchable sport.”

Block has also had some great success
in the stadium format of rally held each year at X Games. Asked if
this could be the future of the sport to make it more accessible for
North American audiences, he replies, “It's an interesting idea,
but I am in rally because I want to drive two hours each weekend, not
one minute. Still, a few of those events as part of a bigger series
could make things pretty interesting. The X Games event is great
exposure for the sport and for sponsors of the sport.”

It was at X Games 2006 that Ken Block
first met the late Colin McRae. The two battled in 2007, with Block
beating out the former world champion.

“That was one of my favourite rally
memories, going head to head with McRae, and pressuring him into a
roll.”

A little over a year later, in
September of 2008, Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino crossed the
Atlantic to participate in the Colin McRae Forest Stages rally. A
who's who in world rallying was on hand to run the event in tribute
to McRae. Block joined many of the others who had chosen historic
vehicles, and entered a Ford Escort. He had no time to test the car
before the event, only getting a couple rides in similar cars.

“I got a ride with one of Colin's
best friends in a open class Escort, so it had a bigger engine and
better brakes and suspension,” started Block. “We were flying,
and I was scared. I just couldn't believe how fast we were going, I
couldn't understand it. Afterwards, I went for a ride in a historic
Escort, driven by Alistair McRae. It took a lot more finesse, but was
still really fast. It's amazing to see the skills, I can't even
fathom it.”

When it came time to drive one of these
cars, Block got off to a rough start, rolling the car before the
start of the event, and then suffering problems throughout the rest
of the rally.

“I'd really like to go back and do
well at that event. This time, I really sucked,” laughed Block. “I
still had a smile ear to ear through the event!”

Looking into the future, Block hopes he
and Gelsomino can continue to improve and become even more dominant. 

“Continuing to learn and develop as a
driver is a really fun process for me. My goal is very personal –
to be the best rally driver I can be. It's one of the best motorsport
skills in the world.”

But first, Block is hoping his skills
have developed enough that he can beat out his competition at the
Rally of the Tall Pines and win the North American Rally Cup. One
thing is certain, Ken Block will be pushing all the way.