What made the late Ken Block so special? As Petter_Solberg and OliverSolberg01 tell TommyHoward, it came down to far more than his driving skill 📝
Solberg couldn’t have hit the nail on the head any harder. Block wasn’t a world champion and, while a look over his career shows that he was capable of competing at the highest level, he enjoyed limited success. But what the American gave to motorsport, and in particular the rally scene, cannot simply be measured in trophies.
Block was a late arrival on the motorsport scene. He competed in his first national rally aged 38, having enjoyed a successful career as an entrepreneur, during which he co-founded DC Shoes. Its rapid success would offer a glimpse into the marketing and PR skills Block would unleash on motorsport. While Block didn't achieve huge success at the very top level, with seventh on the 2013 Rally Mexico his best result, he was still one of the biggest stars and attractions in modern rallying“Ken was an incredible man,” explains Solberg, a close friend of Block and who raced alongside him in WRC and World Rallycross. “He had an enormous passion for motorsport. He worked very hard to be good and he had a fantastic career. We have all learned a lot from him.
Like his hero Colin McRae, Block was box office and the excitement he brought guaranteed bums on seats wherever he went as he helped rallying crack the American market. No doubt Subaru, Ford and latterly Audi all benefited from being associated with Block. “He did so much for the sport and I think the sport didn’t use him enough for what he was capable of. It was not about the money all the time, it was all about the vision and dreams, and everything else will sort itself after. He created many friends and a level of marketing that people can only dream about.”
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