Race car driver Ken Block died in a snowmobile crash on Monday. He was 55.
Hoonigan Industries, the company founded by Block, announced his death on Twitter.
“It is with great regret that we can confirm that Ken Block passed away in a snowmobile accident today. Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. And most importantly, as a father, as a husband, he will be missed immensely.”
Block posted the footage to Instagram at the start of a skiing week in Park City, Utah. According to the Wasatch (Utah) County Sheriff’s Office, “(Block) was driving his sled on a steep slope when the sled flipped over, crushing him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. due to injuries in the accident. Block was traveling with a group but was alone when the accident happened.”
Block won 16 of the 60 Rally America races from 2005 to 2014 and won 5 medals at Game of X. In addition to racing, Block also competes in skateboarding and motorcycle racing. He won a spot on the podium three years in a row at the X Games from 2006 to 2008 in Rallycross.
It’s a his Gymkhana video series and other subsequent Hoonigan works that has made him an icon of automotive culture, and has indeed surpassed it. “Drifting” wouldn’t be known to the public much without him. His most recent Gymkhana video, Gymkhana 2022, amassed 12 million views in three weeks.
He is survived by his wife, Lucy, and three children.
