The rally sensation Ken Block, who left his mark in motorsport over the past two decades, died on January 2nd in a snowmobile accident in Utah, USA. The Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the news, as did Hoonigan Industries, a company founded by the ace driver.
“On January 2, 2023 at approximately 2:00 p.m., the Wasatch County 911 Call Center received a call reporting a snowmobile accident in the Mill Hollow area. Search and Rescue, along with law enforcement from the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office, Utah State Parks and the U.S. Forest Service responded. The driver, Kenneth Block, a 55-year-old man from Park City, Utah, was operating a snowmobile on a steep slope when it flipped over and landed on him. He was pronounced dead at the scene from injuries sustained in the crash,” the official statement said.
Audi S1 e-tron quattro Hoonigan | Photo: Audi
“It is with deepest regret that we can confirm that Ken Block died in a snowmobile accident today. Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. Most importantly, he was a father and a husband. He will be greatly missed. Please respect the family’s privacy at this time as they grieve,” stated the official Hoonigan Industries webpage.
Ken Block, although he was on a group snowmobile trip, was alone at the time of the accident. The official cause of death had not been determined by the state medical examiner’s office at press time.
Ken Block, who began his rally car career in 2005, became best known for his first video featuring him driving his Subaru Impreza WRX STI “practicing” on a demanding course that required the driver to be very precise in his adrenaline-filled maneuvers. Over the years, other sensational videos have been posted on the web, making him an international icon of car control.
Ken Block’s 1977 Ford F-150 Hoonitruck | Photo: LBI Limited
Ken Block then moved to Ford where he continued his automotive adventures, notably in international rallying (WRC), but also through other videos in the Gymkhana series. Ken Block has explored a few avenues through these videos with some of the cars from the history of the American brand (RS200, Escort Cosworth, Mustang, Raptor, etc.).
He had recently decided to leave Ford in favor of Audi, another car brand that no longer needs an introduction in the world of international rallying. Ken Block and his colleagues at Hoonigan had already recorded a few videos on some of the legendary cars of the four rings, including the last episode of the Gymkhana series, entitled ElectriKhana, at the wheel of an Audi S1 Hoonitron prototype in the streets of Las Vegas.
Ken Block is survived by his wife and their three children, two girls and a boy.
