PH Blog: Ken Block's Gymkhana ... snooze
Whatever next for Ken Block? For the love of all that's sacred let's hope it's not Gymkhana Six...
I found it a weird sensation, for sure. After all, what's not to like about some gratuitous, beautifully filmed hooning by an incredibly skilled driver who, thanks to the power of his brand and the internet, can get large parts of one of America's major cities closed off simply so he can do some donuts for a YouTube film?
And yet, there I was. Bored. If it hadn't been for the sideways jump I'm not sure I'd have even watched it through to the end.
What I am not about to do, however, is indulge in some Block bashing. Some have gotten a bit snooty about his attempts at rally glory, the tyre marks on the road showing the practice runs and the rest. While he might not be about to challenge Loeb et al, 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 obvious in his rather more low key vid with a Mk2 Escort a while back. Meanwhile the original Gymkhana Practice video is an absolute masterpiece of opportunism, inventive use of new media, smart business and good old-fashioned entertainment. I looked at it again while musing on this rant and it has a charm and rawness about it that, for me, makes it more fun to watch than the latest one.
There are more interesting elements to the Block phenomenon too. Personally I'm fascinated at the way Ford has spotted an opportunity to use him as a way of introducing a very European, hot hatch-oriented/rally-centric take on performance cars to the US market. Sure, as we've seen, muscle cars are still a huge deal. And in a marketplace where you can get a 5.0-litre V8 Mustang for just $7,000 more than a Focus ST there's still a mountain to climb.
But the Focus ST is, as Ford puts it, the firm's first global performance car and it's clear there's more of a future in cars like that than there is live-axle equipped Mustangs. Block makes Fiestas and Focuses look cool to the next generation of American car buyers and Ford is being very smart in aligning itself with him.
Are yet more Gymkhana videos the way to do that? I think it may have run its course. Maybe I'm just being a bit snooty and European about it, but I can't help feeling the franchise has descended into a bit of an 'America, f*** yeah!' parody. I realise the pointlessness is the whole point and something to celebrate. But while I can watch the likes of Kankkunen and McRae (hat tip to Max_Torque in the thread after the Gymkhana Five story for the vid on the former) all day long I don't think I'll be rushing to watch Gymkhana Six, whenever it happens.
Block is a smart, talented and creative chap. I look forward to him being a bit more of the latter and doing something new next time round though.
Dan
Sure, the master of the art of hoonery has become an internet sensation over the years, and his ability to make a hugely powerful 4wd rally car do hilarious things is broadly unparalleled. But (whisper it) we were getting just a little bored of it all, so we thought Gymkhana Five might be a mild disappointment.
It's not. The reason? Block's taken his 650hp Fiesta onto the streets of San Francisco, and any project that gets the Bay Bridge closed specifically for the purposes of hooning earns our eternal respect. Plus, some of the jumps as he careers around the famously hilly city are truly giggleworthy.
I found it a weird sensation, for sure. After all, what's not to like about some gratuitous, beautifully filmed hooning by an incredibly skilled driver who, thanks to the power of his brand and the internet, can get large parts of one of America's major cities closed off simply so he can do some donuts for a YouTube film?
And yet, there I was. Bored.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIoO_N8bSP0&fe...
Bit of advice (and yes I'm in a grumpy mood here). This is a forum, feel free to have your say on the forum. By writing this story all you have done is turn up to a discussion with a mega-phone saying "LISTEN TO ME, MY OPINION MATTERS MORE THAN YOURS".
Roll on Gymkhana 6 through 10 and beyond. Personally I can't wait, both because they are spectacular to watch and they piss miserable people off by the look of it.
Grumpy of Portsmouth
Front wheel drive? Your future, not mine.
Oh yeah, Ken's video? Great job. Loved it.
Sure, the master of the art of hoonery has become an internet sensation over the years, and his ability to make a hugely powerful 4wd rally car do hilarious things is broadly unparalleled. But (whisper it) we were getting just a little bored of it all, so we thought Gymkhana Five might be a mild disappointment.
It's not. The reason? Block's taken his 650hp Fiesta onto the streets of San Francisco, and any project that gets the Bay Bridge closed specifically for the purposes of hooning earns our eternal respect. Plus, some of the jumps as he careers around the famously hilly city are truly giggleworthy.
I found it a weird sensation, for sure. After all, what's not to like about some gratuitous, beautifully filmed hooning by an incredibly skilled driver who, thanks to the power of his brand and the internet, can get large parts of one of America's major cities closed off simply so he can do some donuts for a YouTube film?
And yet, there I was. Bored.
Dan's blog, on the other hand is very much his own personal opinion - as are all our blogs...
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