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10 Pence Short
27,600 posts
86 months
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Nothing against the guy, but it does seem to show the dip WRC in is at the moment.
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Dan Trent
543 posts
37 months
PH Editor Bloke
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PH I love you but you're bringing me down!
Dare to say Ken is talented, clever and a nice bloke but could do better and it's interpreted as a character assassination. Follow up to say Ken is ... talented, clever and a nice bloke and here's why and he gets written off as a talentless wannabe for the heinous crime of being not quite as fast as the greatest WRC driver ever known.
Guys, you crack me up!
Shall I try a third time? Ken Block is massively talented at the wheel, a very smart businessman and, once more with feeling, by all accounts (Mr Harris's included) a very nice chap indeed. And I'm just keen to see how he channels that talent into something more inventive and interesting!
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Captain Muppet
5,954 posts
134 months
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robmlufc said: He is a Rally driver, in the same way that Giovanni Lavaggi can be described as an F1 driver. As Giovanni Lavaggi drove in F1 races then he was definitely an F1 driver. I suspect your sense of proportion is broken. [offtopic]Wiki says: Lavaggi was 1993 Interserie champion and won the 1995 Daytona 24 Hours, as well as scoring two wins in the FIA Sportscar Championship. So it's not like he was a dreadful driver, just not good enough to compete in F1 in a Pacific or Minardi. Although he was classified as 10th in the '96 Hungarian GP behind Schumacher, despite neither of them finishing the race.[/offtopic]
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aucklander
151 posts
19 months
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Its funny that ppl are saying "look- he went into the WRC and he was s  t". WRC is the pinnacle of rallying, and not being competitive at the very top level does not make a man 's t'.
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dandarez
4,474 posts
152 months
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The insults, the vitriol, even hatred it seems...
Is this just a sign of the (dreadful) times we now live in?
Man and his fellow human beings. God help.
Didn't used to be like this (well, not this bad for something so trivial).
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Crow555
970 posts
63 months
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Ken Block wouldn't be the first to struggle at WRC. It's a very competitive championship as touched upon in the interview. Rossi and Raikkonen have given it a go which shows what a specialised skillset WRC requires. The US national series isn't close to WRC or even the Irish or British championships. I have been to watch the WRC when it was here in Ireland and those drivers are pushing so much harder in that than the guys in the Circuit of Ireland. For someone who gets limited testing in the WRC spec car and to get points finishes, that's damn impressive in my book.
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WillBrumBrum
581 posts
67 months
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Riggers said: WillBrumBrum said: Dan Trent - you're a journalist. Which in essence, means that you run around after shiny new objects. What Ken Block has done is carve a brand new niche and you loved him for it, but because you are so fickle you want him to progress on and do something new, rather than ever be satisfied with the brilliant of something as it is.
Why don't you step up to the gauntlet yourself and do that magical 'thing' that you think Ken Block should do next, rather than just rubbishing this talented man because he's no longer your flavour of the month. He's not rubbishing Ken Block! Dan Trent -in both pieces about KB said: he's clearly hugely talented at the wheel, a very smart businessman and, by all accounts, a very nice chap to boot with a genuine passion for rallying.  .Buh-limey... He is, he's saying he's bored of the videos and wants Ken to do something more. "Last week I questioned whether Ken Block's Gymkhana thing had run its course and maybe it was time to try something new." We all know that Ken's a nice guy, but I'm just pointing out that instead of us sitting here and going that was nice, Dan Trent says he wants more. Which is like saying to Neil Armstrong, nice one about the moon, but I'm bored of you going there now, can you entertain me by going to Mars. I don't expect any journalist to understand my viewpoint though.
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Alfanatic
5,990 posts
88 months
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WillBrumBrum said: He is, he's saying he's bored of the videos and wants Ken to do something more.
"Last week I questioned whether Ken Block's Gymkhana thing had run its course and maybe it was time to try something new."
We all know that Ken's a nice guy, but I'm just pointing out that instead of us sitting here and going that was nice, Dan Trent says he wants more. Which is like saying to Neil Armstrong, nice one about the moon, but I'm bored of you going there now, can you entertain me by going to Mars.
I don't expect any journalist to understand my viewpoint though. That's exactly what did happen and it is why Apollo 18 was cancelled.
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thewheelman
2,194 posts
42 months
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He's a world class stunt/exhibition driver & a damn good rally driver. This fella is inspiring a new generations of car enthusiasts, in the same way watching Group B as a kid inspired me.
Added to this, he's a fine role model for youngsters. Really not sure why there are so many haters on here!?
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ZX10Ben
37 posts
10 months
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mat777 said: No Ken, you're not a rally driver. Rally drivers have skill. The only reason you look remotely skilled on your stunt shows I'd because you practice them hundreds of times. When you actually try and do proper men's rallying you always crash because you cant deal with an unpredictable route. Now shut up and go have another can of Monster, you annoying little
adrenaline junkie Personally, I thought Ken did a really good job of representing himself and what he does on that video. It was great to hear what he thought about himself compared to other drivers and why he does what he does. To say he has no skill (which I guess is what was originally being implied) is just making yourself sound completely uneducated and misinformed, because he clearly does. I can only assume you've never seen him race or any of his Gymkhana videos?... Antj said: "I'm a Rally driver"
Really???
Hey Ken, if the stunt driving job falls flat you can always be a comedian with lines like that! I think you need to watch that video again. He states he is not a stunt driver, and therefore does not have a stunt driving job. And I think the WRC would disagree with you. Yes, he is a rally driver, clearly: http://www.wrc.com/drivers-and-teams/drivers/ken-b...Not sure where the hate is coming from, jealousy perhaps?...
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Captain Muppet
5,954 posts
134 months
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WillBrumBrum said: He is, he's saying he's bored of the videos and wants Ken to do something more.
"Last week I questioned whether Ken Block's Gymkhana thing had run its course and maybe it was time to try something new."
We all know that Ken's a nice guy, but I'm just pointing out that instead of us sitting here and going that was nice, Dan Trent says he wants more. Which is like saying to Neil Armstrong, nice one about the moon, but I'm bored of you going there now, can you entertain me by going to Mars.
I don't expect any journalist to understand my viewpoint though. I watched the F1 yesterday. They are still just driving round a track. Where is the new stuff, the snipers, the tunnel section where they drive upside down (god, they've been saying they can do that for years), the live execution of DVD pirates on the podium? We've seen racing, now we want something new and better. Don't just keep doing the same thing but better and in more impressive locations, do something different. Naturally I said all of that because I'm trolling for a reaction. I don't mean it.
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thewheelman
2,194 posts
42 months
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Fluffsri said: Captain Muppet said: Mini1275 said: mat777 said: No Ken, you're not a rally driver. Rally drivers have skill. The only reason you look remotely skilled on your stunt shows I'd because you practice them hundreds of times. When you actually try and do proper men's rallying you always crash because you cant deal with an unpredictable route. Now shut up and go have another can of Monster, you annoying little
adrenaline junkie Jealous much?. Look at his profile. It made me take him a lot less seriously. Look at the pic in his profile even funnier LOL Wow! That's a serious mullet right there.
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Housey
1,487 posts
96 months
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mat777 said: No Ken, you're not a rally driver. Rally drivers have skill. The only reason you look remotely skilled on your stunt shows I'd because you practice them hundreds of times. When you actually try and do proper men's rallying you always crash because you cant deal with an unpredictable route. Now shut up and go have another can of Monster, you annoying little
adrenaline junkie Surely you meant to post this as a comment on YouTube? It would fit so well on there and you could then open a 'debate' with a mass debating society of 8 to 18 year old's who have all the answers, but no real experience, but who feel able to 'learn you good' with every new comment.
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stuckmojo
946 posts
57 months
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Hellbound said: Jalopnik ran a piece not so long on him achieving his first points in the WRC, therefore legitimizing himself as a 'proper' WRC rally driver.
BUT....Dan has come late to the band wagon, lots of journalists are turning against Block as they're bored of writing the same gymkhana advertorial and sense the readers are equally bored. Sure we'll all watch his videos BUT in order to keep the web traffic flowing through a Ken Block story they've realised it needs to be negative and somewhat 'controversial'.
It's your typical 'postive to indifferent to negative' web traffic dictated news cycle. Classic Daily Mail stuff.
Pathetic. This. You don't like the Gymkana videos? Don't watch them. Also, criticising without suggesting what or how to improve is equal to mumsnet whining.
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Riggers
1,841 posts
47 months
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WillBrumBrum said: He is, he's saying he's bored of the videos and wants Ken to do something more.
"Last week I questioned whether Ken Block's Gymkhana thing had run its course and maybe it was time to try something new."
We all know that Ken's a nice guy, but I'm just pointing out that instead of us sitting here and going that was nice, Dan Trent says he wants more. Which is like saying to Neil Armstrong, nice one about the moon, but I'm bored of you going there now, can you entertain me by going to Mars.
I don't expect any journalist to understand my viewpoint though. 'Tis fortunate - because I really don't. But the world would be a very dull place if we all felt the same way about things  . But, while we're on the subject here, DT's two recent pieces being blogs (or op-ed pieces in non-internet parlance) means pretty much by definition that they are a personal opinion, and a discussion point from which to bounce off into a thread. Seems to be working quite well... (FYI I don't actually agree with Dan's view on the Gymkhanas being 'over', but like I said the world would be a dull place if we all held the same opinion)
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Limpet
333 posts
30 months
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I don't understand how anyone can hate the guy. He comes across as affable and modest, and whatever his relative talent next to his peers, can do things with a car that I (and most other people) can barely dream of. He's having a blast living a life that anyone with any petrol-head leanings would jump at.
If he were claiming to be the best rally driver in history, or even of the current crop, then clearly there would be an issue. But I have never seen him boast, or claim anything like that.
He's found a way to earn a living by tooling around in cars in one form or another, and entertain us while doing so. Fair do's, I say.
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zilspeed
18 posts
140 months
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The endless Ken Block Conundrum.
Much as I love the fact that the rise of New Media, such as internet forums, has given us all a voice, it really has made it easy for people to go off half cocked, hasn't it.
Ken Block untalented ?
Oh behave yourselves.
If you can't see the Gymkhana videos for what they are, entertainment, then you're grabbing the wrong end of the stick.
The latest one, from start to finish, is a never ending serious of stunning backdrops, skids, screaming engine and, dare I say it, humour.
It's clearly a marketing device for the shoe company behind it. It's not competitive motorsport.
The fact that it involves a monstrously powerful rally car makes it all the more attractive to any petrolhead. Great marketing device IMHO.
Those of you complaining about his lack of talent, you've all watched the videos.
If you don't actually get what they're about, that's not somebody else's fault.
I'm with Harris et al.
OK, he's not quite up to the standard of Loeb, but not many people are.
Ken's very good at knowing how to do the stuff that people will want to watch.
Lots of skiddy stuff, which isn't actually that quick, hence doesn't win rallies.
In other words, he drives the way that the rest of the drivers would if it weren't for the fact that they have to be quick rather than spectacular.
It's well thought out entertainment, a bit like Top Gear.
Ohhh noo, there's another argument...
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thewheelman
2,194 posts
42 months
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WillBrumBrum said: Dan Trent - you're a journalist. Which in essence, means that you run around after shiny new objects. What Ken Block has done is carve a brand new niche and you loved him for it, but because you are so fickle you want him to progress on and do something new, rather than ever be satisfied with the brilliant of something as it is.
Why don't you step up to the gauntlet yourself and do that magical 'thing' that you think Ken Block should do next, rather than just rubbishing this talented man because he's no longer your flavour of the month. Did you ever read the crap he used to churn out when writing for MSN cars?
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StuMI16
23 posts
44 months
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Chris Harris said: Ridden shot-gun next to Ken a few times - he's a v.v.v.talented driver. His performance in WRC events says much more about the skill levels of the best drivers, and the accumulated knowledge gleaned graduating through lower formulae into top-level sport than it does about his purported 'lack' of skill. If you sat next to him on a gravel stage on Rally GB, you'd climb out pretty bamboozled. It's impressive, but Loeb is on another level. Ken freely admits that.
He's just a normal bloke who happened to found a shoe company, flog it for a mint, do some skids in his spare time and build a franchise around those skids that is rivalling the Super Bowl as a commercial sponsorship opportunity.I'd say that was pretty impressive.
He's also attracting a whole new, young audience to motor sport and car enthusiasm. We all owe him a pint for that.
He's also a good bloke. +1 - It Comes down to this , Motorists and moreso Petrolheads(gearheads for our american friends) are vilified - burning percious fossil fuels for our own enjoyment - Anyone who puts that back and encourages the next generation of enthusiats is good by me - if it carrys on the way its going who is going to buy interesting cars built by lotus or caterham ?? As for his Results in the WRC , running in the top 25-most the time- makes him a rather good peddler - Compair his Results to Matthew Wilson who is there because Daddy Runs the Company (albeit an average driver with decent national results) then i dont think he has anything to be ashamed of
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Sexual Chocolate
843 posts
13 months
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Makes me laugh all this. Lets face it, there is some pretty skilled drivers on this forum but I bet not one of them or even learner driving gods like mat777 could get within 1 minute of Blocks times round any WRC stage. Yes there is hugley more talented drivers on the WRC but these guys have been doing rallying for more years than I care to remember, they grew up with it, lived and breathed it. What Block has done is mananged to get himself to the party which is more than can be said for the likes of Mat777 who might get himself an invite to the party at www.mulletsgalore.com
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