Ken Block Race Series: Gymkhana Grid

Ken Block Race Series: Gymkhana Grid

Press Release

From the Monster World Rally Team site:

MWRT Site said: Short of sneaking into a Gymkhana film shoot, there used to be no way to experience the tire-shredding of Ken Block’s sideways antics live. But now Gymkhana Grid is set to fix all of that. This new race series, brought to you by one of the co-creators of the Redline Time Attack with help from Block himself, is going to get you as close as you want to the action…even behind the wheel if you got what it takes. The series takes the driving style you have seen in Ken Block’s Gymkhana films and puts it into a timed, heads-up format, including both amateur and well-known professional drivers on a course co-designed by Block himself. High power engines, massive slides, and copious amounts of smoke aren’t just encouraged, they’re enforced. For 2010, there are two races on the schedule, the first is Gymkhana Grid in August, followed by the Ken Block Invitational in December, which will include some of racing's bigger names going head-to-head for the gymkhana crown.

The most promising part to me is this: "The series takes the driving style you have seen in Ken Block’s Gymkhana films and puts it into a timed, heads-up format, including both amateur and well-known professional drivers on a course co-designed by Block himself"

I'm thinking some SCCA Solo and ProSolo hot shoes could do really well at an event like this.

Sign me up. I've got a turbo Miata that I'd wager could hold its own.

Here's the link to register, I'll let you sign yourself up.

Too bad both events are all the way out in California...although it would be a great excuse to travel west!

I probably wouldn't "drift" enough.

Hey that's near me. Ish.

Who the berkeley is ken block?

poopshovel wrote: Who the berkeley is ken block?

He makes videos. Here is the latest.

jg

You can't fool me - that's not Ken.

article said: massive slides, and copious amounts of smoke aren’t just encouraged, they’re enforced.

"No going fast"

so it's a heads up drag race/autox/drift all into one. So i'm guessing your time won't count, just your style, so it's nothing more than a fancy drifting contest in autox format....hate to be a hater, but like the security guard in Joe Dirt said "don't church it up Dirt!"

I've seen that course before.

According to the site where any Joe Schmoe can register:

"This is not a competitive event and there will be no prizes or awards. However, the top 5 drivers that complete the course correctly with the lowest time and least amount of course infractions will receive an open invite to compete in the Ken Block Invitational at Irwindale Speedway on December 3rd & 4th."

Sure sounds like your time and cone penalties will count. I'm sure they reserve the right to deny anyone since it is all for show, but it seems like a good opportunity for some fast autox drivers to get a bit more exposure than afforded by an SCCA event, or at least exposure to a much broader audience.

If it had some gates you had to enter then reverse out of, it would be a lot like the old British gymkhana. I'm pretty sure The Joker drew the course diagram though.

JG Pasterjak wrote:

poopshovel wrote: Who the berkeley is ken block?

He makes videos. Here is the latest. jg

Hey, at least he's getting exercise.

JG Pasterjak wrote:

poopshovel wrote: Who the berkeley is ken block?

He makes videos. Here is the latest. jg

Man, that's fun to watch and all, but is it really Star Wars reenacting? I mean, anybody could do those stunts with an unlimited budget for lightsabers, broomsticks, and whatnot, and while that guy's obviously got skills, how do you think he'd stack up against some real reenactin mofos?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqpgAkoQJmM