History Creator / KenBlock

* ''Gymkhana'' (2008-2022)

* ShoutOut: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btViXvIDsi0 Gymkhana Four; The Hollywood Megamercial]] is packed to the gills with these, with typefaces and shots referencing various films and television shows.[[labelnote:Click here for the full list!]]''Film/{{Aliens}}'', ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', ''Film/FastAndFurious'', ''Film/{{Jaws}}'', Creator/{{Paramount}}'s VanityPlate, ''Film/{{Psycho}}'', ''Series/TheSopranos'', ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', ''Film/TopGun'', ''Film/{{TRON}}''[[/labelnote]] Little wonder, then, since it was filmed in the backlots of Universal Studios in California.

* NameTron: His Hoonitron was his very first electric Gymkhana vehicle.

* BaitAndSwitch: The first shot of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO2Li9BMQp8 Electrikhana]] is of Ken strolling through a crimson-lit parking garage, toward the Pikes Peak Hillclimb-winning Audi S1 rally car. The words "[-KEN BLOCK WITH A LEGENDARY MACHINE-]" appear onscreen, only for the camera to shift to show Ken walking toward another car instead, which was previously out of the shot: the brand-new Audi S1 Hoonitron.

Electrikhana was to be his final Gymkhana, as on January 2nd, 2023, Hoonigan released a statement saying that Block had been killed in a snowmobiling accident in Utah. He was 56 years old.

* TheCameo: WebVideo/EpicMealTime makes an appearance in Gymkhana Four, as Ken drifts around them and their set while they're filming a segment.

* DictionaryOpening: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs-jAImScms The very first Gymkhana]] displays the following text before Ken first shoots off in a souped-up Subaru and surges off the track [[ComicBook/RedSonja and into the shadowed mists of legendry]]:

Electrikhana was to be his final Gymkhana, as on January 2nd, 2023, Hoonigan released a statement saying that Block had been killed in a snowmobiling accident in Utah.

!!Tropes associated with Ken Block:

Electrikhana was to be his final Gymkhana, as on January 2nd, 2023, Hoonigan stated in an Instagram post that Block had been killed in a snowmobiling accident in Utah.

* ActionDad: Ken Block was a father in real life, but he still kept on doing rallying and stunts, even getting his daughter, Lia, into rally racing.
* ArcNumber: The number 43, which he used for quite a while when competing.
* AsHimself: Block made his first appearance in ''[[VideoGame/DiRT Colin [=McRae=]: DiRT 2]]'' and its sequel. He also later appeared in the 2015 reboot of ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'', though he made an EarlyBirdCameo in a special event in ''No Limits''.

Block also competed in a number of extreme sports events including skateboarding, snowboarding, and motocross. He was also one of the co-founders and former owners of DC Shoes, an athletic footwear company, but shifted his business focus to Hoonigan Industries, an apparel brand and Youtube channel for auto enthusiasts. In 2020, it was announced that fellow rallycross driver, and X-Games Gold medalist, Creator/TravisPastrana would take over driving duties for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32I0Qso4sDg Gymkhana Eleven]], which was filmed in Pastrana's hometown of Annapolis, Maryland. In 2022, Block returned to Gymkhana, filming "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO2Li9BMQp8 Electrikhana]]" in Las Vegas with an electric rally car supplied by Audi.

That was to be his final Gymkhana, as on January 2nd, 2023, Hoonigan stated that Block had been killed in a snowmobiling accident in Utah.

* ShoutOut: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btViXvIDsi0 Gymkhana Four; The Hollywood Megamercial]] is packed to the gills with these, with typefaces and shots referencing various films and television shows.[[labelnote:Click here for the full list!]]''Film/{{Aliens}}'', ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', ''Film/FastAndFurious'', ''Film/{{Jaws}}'', ''Film/{{Psycho}}'', ''Series/TheSopranos'', ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', ''Film/TopGun'', ''Film/{{TRON}}''[[/labelnote]] Little wonder, then, since it was filmed in the backlots of Universal Studios in California.

An automotive sport that takes place on an open field or parking lot and requires drivers to skillfully maneuver their cars around a series of ones, slaloms, 180 degree turns, 360 degree turns, figure eight turns or other obstacles using extreme acceleration, braking, and drifting.\\\

Block also competed in a number of extreme sports events including skateboarding, snowboarding, and motocross. He was also one of the co-founders and former owners of DC Shoes, an athletic footwear company, but shifted his business focus to Hoonigan Industries, an apparel brand and Youtube channel for auto enthusiasts. In 2020, it was announced that fellow rallycross driver, and X-Games Gold medalist, Travis Pastrana would take over driving duties for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32I0Qso4sDg Gymkhana Eleven]], which was filmed in Pastrana's hometown of Annapolis, Maryland. In 2022, Block returned to Gymkhana, filming "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO2Li9BMQp8 Electrikhana]]" in Las Vegas with an electric rally car supplied by Audi.

Block also competed in a number of extreme sports events including skateboarding, snowboarding, and motocross. He was also one of the co-founders and former owners of DC Shoes, an athletic footwear company, but shifted his business focus to Hoonigan Industries, an apparel brand and Youtube channel for auto enthusiasts. In 2020, it was announced that fellow rallycross driver, and X-Games Gold medalist, Travis Pastrana would take over driving duties for Gymkhana 11, which was filmed in Pastrana's hometown of Annapolis, Maryland. In 2022, Block returned to Gymkhana, filming "Electrikhana" in Las Vegas with an electric rally car supplied by Audi.

** 2017 -- [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg6L_7qLIEQ Ken Block's Climbkhana: Pikes Peak Featuring the Hoonicorn V2]]

** 2019 -- [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX2uXBMkO8U Ken Block's Climbkhana TWO: 914hp Hoonitruck on China's Most Dangerous Road; Tianmen Mountain]]
** 2022 -- [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO2Li9BMQp8 Ken Block's ELECTRIKHANA: High Stakes Playground; Las Vegas, in the Audi S1 HOONITRON]]

Kenneth Paul Block (November 21, 1967 – January 2, 2023) was an American [[UsefulNotes/{{Rallying}} rally]] driver, stunt performer, and entrepreneur, best known for his ''Gymkhana'' series of stunt videos where he [[CarFu drifts]] a variety of [[CoolCar specially modified cars]] in city streets and urban areas. Block also competed in a number of extreme sports events including skateboarding, snowboarding, and motocross. He was also one of the co-founders and former owners of DC Shoes, an athletic footwear company, but shifted his business focus to Hoonigan Industries, an apparel brand and Youtube channel for auto enthusiasts. In 2020, it was announced that fellow rallycross driver, and X-Games Gold medalist, Travis Pastrana would take over driving duties for Gymkhana 11, which was filmed in Pastrana's hometown of Annapolis, Maryland. In 2022, Block returned to Gymkhana, filming "Electrikhana" in Las Vegas with an electric rally car supplied by Audi.

* ShoutOut: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btViXvIDsi0 Gymkhana Four; The Hollywood Megamercial]] is packed to the gills with these, with typefaces and shots referencing various films and television shows.[[labelnote:Click here for the full list!]]''Film/{{Aliens}}'', ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', ''Film/FastAndFurious'', ''Film/{{Jaws}}'', ''Film/{{Psycho}}'', ''Series/TheSopranos'', ''Film/Terminator2JudgementDay'', ''Film/TopGun'', ''Film/{{TRON}}''[[/labelnote]] Little wonder, then, since it was filmed in the backlots of Universal Studios in California.

* ProductPlacement: Ken's rally cars were absolutely plastered with sponsor stickers for Toyo Tires, Monster Energy, and other brands. Several of his Gymkhana videos (and the ''Hoonicorn Vs.'' series) feature cross-promotions with games in the ''VideoGame/{{Forza}}'' series, which in turn have featured Hoonigan-branded cars.