Ken Block dies in snowmobile accident

Rally driver Ken Block died in a snowmobile accident Monday. He was 55. 

Hoonigan Industries, the company Block founded, announced his death on Twitter.

“It’s with our deepest regrets 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, a father and husband. He will be incredibly missed.”

Block had posted video footage on Instagram earlier in the week of snowmobiling in Park City, Utah.  According to the Wasatch County (Utah) Sheriff’s Office, “(Block) was riding a snowmobile on a steep slope when the snowmobile upended, landing on top of him. He was pronounced deceased at the scene from injuries sustained in the accident. Mr. Block was riding with a group but was alone when the accident occurred.”

Block won 16 of 60 Rally America races from 2005 to 2014 and earned five medals at the X Games. In addition to rally driving, Block also competed in skateboarding and motocross. He earned a spot on the podium three consecutive years at the X Games from 2006 to 2008 in Rallycross. 

It was his Gymkhana video series and other subsequent Hoonigan productions that made him an icon of automotive culture, and indeed transcended it. “Drifting” wouldn’t be as well known in the mainstream public without him. His most recent Gymkhana video, Gymkhana 2022, has already amassed 12 million views in three weeks. 

He is survived by his wife, Lucy, and three children.