Last October, Ken Block came roaring into the Rally America finale at the Lake Superior Performance Rally needing a first-place finish to capture the championship crown. In his bid to place in first, Block made one small mistake that resulted in a massive rollover dashing his championship hopes and trashing his Hybrid Function Hooning Vehicle.
This video includes an interview with Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino, as well as on-board footage from a crash that, in almost any other car, would have resulted in serious injury or death.
As it is, Block walked away shook-up but unscathed, while Gelsomino suffered a mild concussion. Looking back at the video though, Gelsomino says the scariest part was that his arm went out the car’s window several times during the rollover, which could have resulted in a broken arm, or even worse.
Block, however, was more angry than upset, knowing he had just blown his chance at the championship. The cause of the rollover? A little clump of dirt on the side of the road, along with pace-notes lacking a single-but-critical word, “in”, which allowed Block to take the corner a bit too wide. His rear wheel caught the dirt clump, and that, as they say, was that, though Block tried to get the car going again once the rollover ceased. Unfortunately, he was missing important bits like the tires, which prevented him from driving away.
But hey, there’s always 2014, right?