Tag: Ken Block

  • Ken Block compares 1997 versus 2021 Subaru WRX STI rally cars

    Ken Block has ended his exclusive Ford partnership, and is now back in a Subaru. After debuting a Subaru WRX STI rally car, Block decided to compare the brand-new Subaru WRX STI VT20R race car to one of its ancestors, a 1997 Subaru Impreza GC8 STI rally car.

    Subaru started rallying with the Legacy, but the first-generation Impreza built the company’s reputation, achieving World Rally Championship (WRC) success in the hands of drivers such as Colin McCrae, and laying the foundation for the first WRX road cars.

    While it wears the iconic blue-and-yellow 555 livery, the 1997 Impreza featured here isn’t one of the original WRC cars. It’s a lower-class Group N car, but it was built by ProDrive, the United Kingdom-based company that built all of Subaru’s factory rally cars back in the day.

    Ken Block's Subaru WRX STI rally car

    Ken Block’s Subaru WRX STI rally car

    Group N cars were also closer to stock than the top-level WRC cars, with modifications limited to safety items and some suspension bits. The turbocharged 2.0-liter boxer-4 engine produces about 200 hp, routed to all four wheels through a dog-box 5-speed manual transmission.

    In comparison, Block’s STI rally car is far from stock. Builder Vermont SportsCar starts with a bare body shell, adding a full cage and changing most of the body panels. This car still uses a 2.0-liter boxer-4 engine, which produces about 330 hp with the mandatory air restrictor. A 6-speed sequential gearbox replaces the stock 6-speed manual.

    Block then drives both cars on the rally course at DirtFish Rally School in Snoqualmie, Washington. If first, is the 2021 WRX STI, which posts an average lap time of 1:45.7 over four laps. The 1997 Impreza GC8 is next, and while its straight pipes make plenty of noise, it’s average lap time is 1:57.8 That’s what modern technology and an extra 130 hp will do.

    Watch the full video to see Block hooning both rally cars in the dirt.

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  • Ken Block and Ford’s marriage is over, Block’s a free agent now

    Ken Block and Ford are ending their 10-year exclusive partnership, leaving Block a free agent to pursue deals with other automakers, Block and Ford Performance confirmed Friday.

    “Working with Ford over the past decade has been awesome,” Block said in a statement published on his Hoonigan Racing Division website. “I’m super appreciative to Ford for the support over the years, but I am also looking forward to what an unrestricted 2021 holds, and the ability to spread my wings a bit and play with a lot (of) other toys.”

    “All of us at Ford are very grateful for Ken Block and his bringing the thrill of Ford Performance vehicles to a whole new generation of car buyers,” Ford Performance said in a statement released on Twitter. “He did it in ways that are uniquely Ken—with fun, energetic, and extraordinary driving exhibitions that were unmatched in the automotive world, along with important victories and performances in rally and RallyCross worldwide.”

    Ken Block’s “Gymkhana 10” 1977 Ford F-150 Hoonitruck

    Ken Block’s “Gymkhana 10” 1977 Ford F-150 Hoonitruck

    Block’s partnership with Ford encompassed motorsports and custom vehicle builds for his Gymkhana video series. It led to cars like the 1,400-horsepower all-wheel drive “Hoonicorn” Mustang, the 1977 Ford F-150 “Hoonitruck,” and even a Ford Escort RS Cosworth, all of which appeared in various Gymkhana videos starting with Gymkhana Three.

    The partnership also included rallying and rallycross campaigns, with 19 wins, 17 other podiums, and two X Games medals. More recently, Block moved to the all-electric Projekt E rallycross series with a Ford Fiesta ERX race car.

    Block hasn’t always been beholden to Ford. He drove Subaru WRX STI rally cars in the first two Gymkhana videos, and the automaker recently returned to the series for Gymkhana 11, with Subaru race driver Travis Pastrana replacing Block.

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  • Why Ken Block’s Projekt E Series electric rallycross car blew his mind

    The FIA World Rallycross Championship’s Projekt E series is built around electric cars, and Ken Block is one of the drivers making the switch away from internal-combustion power. In this video, Block puts his Ford Fiesta ERX electric rallycross car through its paces at a circuit in Höljes, Sweden.

    “It’s starting from scratch. It’s a whole new way to race a vehicle,” Block says in the video. He’s sampled a couple of electric cars recently, including the Extreme E series’ off-road racer and the Ford Mustang Mach-E 1400, but the Fiesta is the first electric car Block will race competitively.

    Announced last year, Projekt E will act as a support series to the main World Rallycross Championship, which will continue to use gasoline-powered cars for the time being. The FIA sanctioning body originally wanted to add an EV class to the main series, but that was vetoed by automakers. That means separate events for electric and gasoline cars will be held over a given race weekend.

    Ken Block Projekt E Ford Fiesta electric rallycross car

    Ken Block Projekt E Ford Fiesta electric rallycross car

    Block’s car uses the body from an eighth-generation Fiesta ST (which isn’t sold in the United States), but the road-going version of that car isn’t available with an electric powertrain. However, Ford doesn’t have a suitably sized EV in its lineup right now, and the Fiesta has been the automaker’s go-to rally car for several years now.

    Built by Austrian firm STARD, the car boasts three electric motors, producing about 600 horsepower and 800 pound-feet of torque combined. It can do zero 60 mph in about 1.8 seconds, according to the race team, with a top speed of 150 mph. Each axle gets its own 2-speed transmission, although only one gear is used in races.

    Block says the car feels heavier, though its weight is lower and its balance is better than a car with a combustion engine to give it a more planted, more solid feel. He also says its actually better than a gas car for his signature “hooning” because the one gear allows the wheels to spin faster.

    Watch the full video for more of Block’s impressions on his new, all-electric ride, and for plenty of tire destruction.

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