Rally - Ken Block

Last year ended on a sour note and the New Year has started badly with more tragic news. Rally driver and extreme sportsman Ken Block was killed yesterday in a snowmobiling accident in Utah, USA.

Despite the impression given by his extreme automotive stunts and social media notoriety, Ken was no ‘daredevil’, he was a skilled engineer and hugely talented driver and motorcycle rider. Everything was planned, practiced and carried out with two singular aims - thrill the audience and step out of, or off, each vehicle in one piece at the end of it.

As an accomplished driver and champion, he was also perhaps the biggest single influence in the promotion of rallying in the States. His internet fame had a direct impact on the sport’s recognition in America introducing new fans and generating a wider acceptance of the sport when he went rallying.

He was also a good pal of Colin McRae and flew over from America to participate in the McRae Rally Tribute event in 2008. This wasn’t a publicity stunt, it was a genuine desire to celebrate the life and times of a like-minded individual – and his friend.

In private, he wasn’t the least bit brash or flamboyant, just a genuine fan of the sport and admitted that Colin had been a big influence and inspiration.

It’s just so sad to lose him, we also have a lot to thank him for.