Professional rally driver and YouTube sensation Ken Block has passed away at the age of 55. Our thoughts are with his family and friends in this heartbreaking time.
Hoonigan Racing Division broke the news on Instagram, describing the rally driver as "a visionary, a pioneer and an icon... and most importantly, a father and a husband." Yesterday, Block was riding a snowmobile near his ranch in the Mill Hollow area of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Utah when the vehicle overturned on a steep slope. The snowmobile landed on top of him and inflicted fatal injuries. "He was pronounced deceased at the scene," said the Sheriff's Office in a statement (courtesy of Reuters).
Block was an accomplished athlete, with skills in skateboarding, snowboarding and motocross as well as racing. His talent was evident from the moment that he won the Rally America Rookie of the Year award following his first season of formal competition in 2005, and he competed in five major championships over a decade of being in the field. Block also found fame with his gymkhana series of YouTube videos showing off daring stunts, unbelievable speed and incredible drifts.
The driver appeared in Colin McRae: Dirt 2, Dirt 3, and Dirt: Showdown, and in Dirt 3 he is a driver and gymkhana instructor for the player. He was selected to be Need for Speed's style icon in 2015 and he and NaturalMotion Games entered a partnership for CSR Racing last year. Block leaves behind his wife Lucy and their three daughters, and Hoonigan Racing has asked for privacy for his family and friends while they grieve.
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