With free rein to race in 2021 with any manufacturer of his choosing, Ken Block and Hoonigan Racing Division are announcing a wild year in some of the world’s finest gravel slingers: from an open class Subaru STi, to a safari-spec Porsche 911, to Block’s first ever race in a Trophy Truck… and that’s just the beginning. Block is also announcing that he will be creating and driving in a wild evolution of the viral Gymkhana film series this year, as well as announcing more manufacturer partnerships soon.
“This is going to be a wild year! I’m stoked to be back in a Subaru racing rally in America,” said Block. “And now that I’m not exclusively tied to just one manufacturer, I can go do things like race a Porsche, built by Tuthill Porsche, in Africa and take on the infamous Baja 1000 in a Trophy Truck - both of which I’ll be doing for the first time ever!”
Later in the year is when things get really interesting for Block. In early November, Block is set to pilot a Tuthill Porsche built air-cooled Porsche 911 for the East African Safari Classic Rally. Spanning 10 days and nearly 5000 km on Kenya’s tough gravel roads, it’s often regarded as the world's greatest classic rally.
The day after the East African rally is scheduled to end, Block will head straight to Baja, Mexico to start the pre-run of the Baja 1000, then buckle into a Trophy Truck for his first ever attempt at the legendary off-road race. He seeks to answer the question: “Can a rally driver translate his skills directly to the world of off-road truck racing?” For the event, he’s teaming up with 16-year-old Jax Redline, an up and coming off-road racer who just took 5th overall at last weekend’s San Felipe 250. “Jax is one of the young and very talented drivers in the sport and I am stoked to be partnered with him in this big effort to go take on one of the biggest off-road races in the world!” said Block.
And because no year is complete without a family-sized serving of hoonage, Block is set to star in the next chapter of his award-winning Gymkhana franchise - launching this year! When asked about the details of the film, Block replied “It’s all a big secret at this point. But, there will be a lot more info on this - along with a new manufacturer partnership - which will be announced very soon. I am very excited about this one! We will be pushing the levels of film and automotive technology in ways we have never done before.”
In retrospect, Block put together a string of amazing drives across the globe last year - despite a pandemic tearing 2020’s schedule apart. Taking wins at Rally Barbados, Rally Legend in San Marino, and at the inaugural Projekt - E race in Sweden, as well as 2nd overall for ARA’s Southern Ohio Forest Rally, and even hammering the Saudi desert in Extreme E - setting a time that would have been 3rd fastest in the last stage of that epic rally. It was a big year for Block and Hoonigan Racing, and 2021 looks to be even bigger.
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