Gymkhana legend Ken Block dies in snowmobile accident: "We will miss him forever"
Created: 01/03/2023 10:52 am
By: Sebastian Oppenheimer
Huge shock for the car scene: The well-known rally driver and "drift king" Ken Block is dead. The YouTube star died in a snowmobile accident.
For years, Ken Block has inspired millions of YouTube users with his Gymkhana videos - these are rapid rides behind the wheel of highly motorized rally cars over special courses, garnished with spectacular stunts and jumps.
From 2020, Travis Pastrana, known from the show "Nitro-Circus" (MTV), took over the Gymkhana series.
Block, on the other hand, started a cooperation with the Ingolstadt car manufacturer Audi - who built his own electric vehicle: the S1 e-tron quattro Hoonitron.
A recently released YouTube video titled "Electricana" shows the steering wheel artist tearing through the streets of Las Vegas with the electric missile.
Now the news of the 55-year-old's death has shocked his fans.
The drift artist died in a snowmobile accident.
Rally driver and drift artist Ken Block is dead. He died in a snowmobile accident at the age of 55.
© Audi
Gymkhana legend Ken Block dies in snowmobile accident: "We will miss him forever"
"We are dismayed by this news and express our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends," says Oliver Hoffmann, Board Member for Development at Audi.
The rally driver has had a cooperation with the Ingolstadt company since 2021 - and presented their vehicles in videos, among other things, and let the tires smoke.
“Ken was a pioneer and in recent years also a valued and warmly welcomed member of the Audi family.
We are losing a great person and recognized sportsman who will always have his place in the history of Audi Sport.”
Ken Block has an accident with a snowmobile - and succumbs to his injuries at the scene of the accident
The accident happened in the US state of Utah.
According to the Wasatch County Sheriff's Office, Ken Block was traveling in an area called Mill Hollow.
As he drove his snowmobile up a steep slope, the vehicle climbed up and landed on him.
He succumbed to his serious injuries at the scene of the accident.
According to the authorities, Block was traveling in a group – but at the time of the accident he was alone.
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Ken Block crashes with snowmobile: "Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon"
The Hoonigan Racing Division team, which he co-founded, also mourns the rally star: "It is with deep regret that we have to announce that Ken Block died in a snowmobile accident today," said a message on the team's Instagram channel to read.
“Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon.
And, most importantly, a father and husband.
We will miss him forever."
