Rally racing is a brutal and unforgiving motorsport, where one small mistake can literally end your life. With many of these high-speed races taking place in the middle of dense forests, it is not a race for the feint-of-heart. Of course nobody would accuse Ken Block of being anything but bold in his driving style, and the Hoonigan Racing driver is finally starting to find some success on the American rally circuit.
After a rough start to the weekend’s rally, Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino managed to bounce back in a big way, nabbing second place in the third round of the Rally America series.
The weekend at the Oregon Trail Rally started off with a series mechanical failures, as the front-left wheel of Block’s Hybrid Function Hoon Vehicle fell off in a freak accident midway through the opening stages. Yet despite this, Block and Gelsomino were able to push on and finish the first few stages in fourth place. Not a great start, but not terrible either.
That accident set the tone for the weekend, as Block and his teammate battled one mechanical gremlin after another. So despite winning Saturday’s opening stage, a broken driveshaft, punctured tire, and immovable boulder, all kept Block from taking first place. But a second place finish still helps put Block on the board after failing to score any points in the first two rounds. With just 9 points putting him in 11th place overall, Block has his work cut out for him if he really wants to climb the Rally America ladder.
But if anyone can do it, Ken Block can.