“Gymkhana” hero and rally driver Ken Block died on Monday, according to his official social media accounts.
Bullock’s Hoonigan staff confirmed via Instagram that he died in a snowmobile accident on Jan. 2. Bullock, 55, is survived by his wife and three children. The Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office in Utah said the accident happened around 2 p.m. when the snowmobile overturned and landed on top of Bullock Mountain, TMZ reported. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to reports.
“Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. Most of all, he was a father and husband,” Hoonigan wrote.
Hoonigan confirms Ken Block’s death on Instagram
A co-founder of DC Shoes, Block drove professionally while serving as the company’s head of marketing. At age 36, he attended Team O’Neal’s rally school and fell in love with the sport. Block began competing full-time in 2005.
Block made his first “Gymkhana” video in 2008 and it became an instant hit. His latest “Gymkhana” escapade has him driving a custom electric Audi S1 E-Tron Quattro Hoonitron as “Electrikhana”.
Audi S1 E-Tron Quattro Hoonitron built exclusively for Brock, who signed with Audi in 2021 to help the German automaker develop electric vehicles. Block says he’s a big Audi fan, but the partnership with the brand only became possible when Block’s exclusive partnership with Ford came to an end. Before working with Audi, Block returned to rallying with Subaru, the brand that launched him into his motorsports career.
Block’s company, Hoonigan, has grown into a small empire. It merges with Wheel Pros in 2021.
Bullock told Motor Authority in 2016 that he grew up skateboarding, snowboarding and riding dirt bikes, but he stopped riding dirt bikes because he “had a cool racing career.” He had a lot of injuries from riding dirt bikes, and he was afraid of getting hurt. He still skis regularly.
Bullock taught his 14-year-old daughter to drive. She then immediately started following in her father’s footsteps, driving her father’s Hoonicorn against a Hemi-powered Corvette trailer race. Ken Block called the car scary.