According to an Instagram post, rally racer Ken Block, best known for co-founding Hoonigan Industries and starring in the massively successful Gymkhana series of stunt driving movies, died in a snowmobile accident on January 2.
As for his age, he was 55. In a previous iteration, this article was posted on January 2nd, 2016 at 10:15 pm EST. Updated with fresh details of Block’s crash.
A statement from the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office says that around 2:00 p.m. local time, they were notified of a snowmobile accident in Mill Hollow, which is located east of Provo, Utah in the Uinta National Forest.
According to the sheriff’s office, Block was traveling on a snowmobile with a group, but he was by himself when the vehicle rolled down a steep hill and landed on top of him. The collision investigators pronounced Block deceased at the site.
The formal cause of death will be announced over the next several days by the state medical examiner. Along with Damon Way, Block co-founded the clothing firm DC Shoes in 1994, expanding his career beyond the realm of rally and racing.
For the competition, he skateboarded, motocross, and snowboarded. Rallying and founding Hoonigan Industries are what Block is most well-known for among auto aficionados. Rally America was Block’s first major racing competition.
During his first year of competition in 2005, he joined the Vermont SportsCar team and quickly became known as a rising star in the world of national rally racing.
In 2006, Block participated in his first X Games rally driving competition, and in 2007, he made his debut in the World Rally Championship. To compete in the World Rally Championship as the first American driver, Block established the Monster World Rally Team in 2010.
Originally known as Hoonigan Rally Team, he rebranded as Hoonigan Racing Division in 2012 to compete in the Global Rallycross Championship and, eventually, the FIA World Rallycross.
Block was also a co-founder of Hoonigan Industries, a media production and fashion firm catering to teenage auto fans. Due in large part to Block’s Gymkhana video series, Hoonigan quickly gained widespread attention.
The original video from 2008 seemed fairly mild in comparison to the subsequent ones: A series of videos, each one more extreme than the last, with Block (and eventually an entire cavalcade of stunt drivers) demonstrating incredible skill and bravery while drifting, jumping, and sliding around in their vehicles.
Some of Block’s first videos featured his rally and rallycross cars, while more recent ones featured Hoonigan’s purpose-built machines for Gymkhana. Gymkhana 11 saw Block racing an electric Audi rally vehicle through the streets of Las Vegas.
Block’s success in World Rally Championship and rallycross competitions made him the public face of rally racing in the United States, elevating the sport from its previous obscure status to widespread recognition.
And Hoonigan ascended to the top of the auto industry, connecting with a new audience of young people who are passionate about cars and establishing a reputation for anarchy and do-it-yourself spirit among auto enthusiasts everywhere.
Lucy and their three children are grieving the loss of their husband and father, Lucy and their daughter Lia have both participated alongside Ken in the American Rally Association championship, and Lia has lately become engaged with the Hoonigan video series. We at Jalopnik have reached out to a family member for comment and will revise this article accordingly.
