Ken Block Launches Gymkhana 7: Wild In The Streets Of Los Angeles
PRESS RELEASE – NOV 17th, Los Angeles, CA — Head Hoonigan In Charge, Ken Block, is proud to announce that his latest installment in the award-winning Gymkhana viral video series has officially launched on Hoonigan’s YouTube channel today. The video, Gymkhana SEVEN: Wild in the Streets of Los Angeles—presented by Hoonigan, Ford and Need For Speed: No Limits— brings the franchise back to an urban landscape. Similar to Block’s assault on San Francisco in the wildly successful Gymkhana FIVE film, which has garnered more than 68 million views, we see the rally racer tear through city streets, but this time in an all new tire-slaying machine—a custom built 845 hp all-wheel-drive 1965 Ford Mustang, dubbed the Hoonicorn.
gymkhana 7: wild in the streets of los angelesL.A.’s finest, aka the police, provided the route for Block, as they cordoned off intersections and guided the H.H.I.C. and his Mustang in and around Los Angeles. The goal however, was not to for Block to take the fastest route from point A to point B, but to instead fully exploit the question every car guy has asked himself, which is “What would you do if the police shut down the streets for you?” For Block, that meant having the absolute most fun possible and driving in the wildest style imaginable.
Block and his driving aren’t the only stars of the video however. For Gymkhana SEVEN Block decided that he needed a brand-new, one-of-a-kind vehicle. The car? A completely custom 1965 all-wheel drive Ford Mustang notchback featuring an 845 hp Ford V8 from NASCAR’s Roush Yates and a Dakar Rally-spec all-wheel drive transmission from Sadev. It’s the only performance all-wheel drive Mustang in the world and was built in collaboration with Vaughn Gittin Jr’s RTR tuning brand, the car—affectionately dubbed “the Hoonicorn” by Block and his team—is an absolute beast on the streets of Los Angeles, decimating tires and bursting eardrums as Block lays down some of his most precise and aggressive driving to-date.
“I’ve done Gymkhana-style driving in quite a few cars over years,” said Block. “But by far, this car is hands-down the best I’ve ever driven for this type of driving. The instant torque and power from that V8 is absolutely intoxicating and it basically vaporizes the tires the moment I get into the throttle. It’s also completely insane to me when I see the footage of this car being chained to a wall and doing an all-wheel drive burnout. I’m beyond stoked with not only how the car turned out, but also this video. I honestly feel this is my best Gymkhana video yet and I’d like to thank the city of Los Angeles for allowing me to borrow their streets for a few days!”
gymkhana 7: wild in the streets of los angelesIn addition to the all-new car for the video, Gymkhana SEVEN: Wild in the Streets of Los Angeles truly takes the “wild” ethos seriously, with Block absolutely capitalizing on the fact that some of the most congested roadways in America were shut down for him to create his latest video. Featuring some of the most over-the-top, insanely smoky moves yet, viewers will continually have their jaws agape at how absolutely out-of-control it all appears while simultaneously cringing on the edge of their seat as they realize how close some of the proximity tricks are. The video was filmed over five days in early October 2014 and it hits an assortment of iconic Los Angeles locations including Downtown L.A., Randy’s Donuts, the L.A. freeways, the 6th Street Bridge, Chinatown, the L.A. River and, perhaps most iconic of all, the Hollywood Sign.
“The access to locations for this project was incredible,” said Block. “Obviously the film commission in Los Angeles is quite good and accustomed to working with projects that involve driving all the time. However this was the first and only time that anyone has done actual live-action driving and filming at the top of the Hollywood Sign—some of the permissions we had to obtain from the Department of Homeland Security were intense!”
Because Hoonigan is the title sponsor for the video, the apparel brand has also created a unique Gymkhana SEVEN-themed apparel pack that builds upon the look of the Hoonicorn and helps brings that styling directly to the fans. The pack is available nationwide at all Zumiez store locations, as well as online at www.hoonigan.com.
To watch Gymkhana SEVEN: https://www.hoonigan.com/gymkhana7
To learn more about the Hoonicorn RTR: http://tinyurl.com/oy2jsb5
HOONICORN RTR SPECIFICATIONS:
– MOTOR: Roush Yates 410 cubic inch Ford V8, 845 hp/720 lb-ft with individual throttle bodies
– TRANSMISSION: 6-speed Sadev SC90-24 all-wheel drive transmission with a hydraulic handbrake system
– SUSPENSION: Custom ASD Motorsports-designed geometry and components
– BODY: 1965 widebody Ford Mustang designed by Ken Block, Hoonigan and RTR, ASD Motorsports full tubular chassis, ASD Motorsports custom roll-cage, door bars and front/rear suspension mounts, RTR carbon fiber body panel
– WHEELS: fifteen52 three-piece R40, 18- x10.5-inch
– TIRES: Pirelli Trofeo R, 295/30R18, custom Ken Block compound
About Ken Block:
Ken Blockʼs rally career began in 2005. His skill and car control became quickly apparent and Block aptly nabbed Rookie of the Year that season in the Rally America Championship. Since then, Block has continued to race in the series, racking up numerous overall wins as well as plenty of podium appearances. He’s also accumulated five X Games medals since the start of his career, including most recently taking silver at Global X Games Munich RallyCross in 2013. In addition to his performance in the car, Block has been a driving force in shedding light on the sport of rally within the United States. His keen branding and marketing acumen, combined with his talents and skills behind the wheel, has also allowed Block to achieve global fame as a rally driver through his wildly successful viral Gymkhana series of videos. With all six of his Gymkhana videos (plus all associated edits) clocking in at over 250 million views on the franchise in total, they have helped put Block in front of eyeballs around the world. The franchise has also racked up several awards, including making the top 10 viral video charts by Ad Age, as well as the One Show Interactive Gold Pencil Award in the category of Online Films & Video/Long Form – Single, for excellence in an advertising campaign. In January 2010, Block formed the Monster World Rally Team and signed with Ford to pursue his dreams of racing in the World Rally Championship and in doing so, became one of only four Americans to ever score points in the WRC (more Americans have actually landed on the moon than scored points in the WRC). Additionally, his signing with Ford included campaigning domestically in racing (Global RallyCross Championship, X Games and Rally America), as well as continuing with his Gymkhana driving. In 2012, Block re-named his team Hoonigan Racing Division, with the goal to further push the boundaries of motorsports marketing. For 2014, Block will compete in the Global RallyCross Championship, World RallyCross Championship, Rally America, WRC, and the Monza Rally Sprints, as well as doing a handful of global Gymkhana demos.
About Hoonigan Industries:
Spawned in 2011 by DC Shoes Co-Founder Ken Block and 0-60 Magazine Editor-in-Chief Brian Scotto, Hoonigan is a motorsport-lifestyle brand with a penchant for automotive debauchery. The company is dedicated to creating authentic products for the rebellious gear head. Its name, a portmanteau (Look it up, yo!), is the combination of “hooligan” and “hoon,” the Australian term for screwing about in cars. In addition to Block—made famous by his Gymkhana films—the Hoonigan team boasts a roster ranging from world champion drifters to Baja 1000 winners.
About Hoonigan Racing Division:
Created and assembled by Ken Block, the object of the Hoonigan Racing Division is to continue to redefine the race-team archetype. The team is driven not only to win, but to also market motorsports through innovative, creative and interactive ways. The team is supported by Monster Energy, Ford Motor Company, HOONIGAN, Castrol Edge, GoPro, Pirelli, Need For Speed, SPY, DC Shoes, HPI Racing, fifteen52, Alpinestars and Shining Monkey.
Follow us at www.hooniganracing.com