Ken Block Wins Susquehannock Rally

Despite his incredible success with the Gymkhana series of videos and promoting himself to the status of international motorsports star, Ken Block has had quite a bit of difficulty actually winning any races this year. The 2013 Rally America season has been especially brutal for Block, who has suffered one mechanical issue after another, placing him far back in the championship points rankings.

Finally, after three bad races, Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino took home their first victory at the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally. This hard-fought win gives Block’s championship hopes new life as he moves up the rankings.

As we have documented, Block has faced all sorts of gremlins in his rally bid, from broken wheels to failing suspension parts. He even failed to place on the podium at the 100 Acre Woods Rally, which he had previously won four consecutive years in a row. All this was quite disheartening for the Hoonigan Racing leader, but obviously he never gave up.

After winning 12 of 16 stages, Block and Gelsomino took their first victory of the 2013 season, propelling the duo up the rankings from below the Top 10 into second place. With just 48 points though, Block still has a huge gap to make up if he hopes to take down the current points leader, David Higgins of Subaru Racing. With 75 points on the board, Higgins and crew has a commanding lead.

But as always, all it takes is one race to shake up the entire rankings chart. Is this the beginning of a big comeback for Ken Block and Hoonigan Racing?