Ken Block has been all over automotive news of late – for all the good reasons. His daughter and protégé, Lia, finally got her hands on her first car, a 1985 Audi Ur-Quattro. But perhaps the most exciting news about the American driver was his recent wild, show-stopping stunt in Las Vegas in the Audi S1 Hoonitron.
As if that wasn’t enough, the drift master thought it would be the perfect time to showcase his rally skills in his backyard – the Hoonigan Tire Slayer Studios. His car of choice was a 1-of-1 (so far in the United States) Hyundai i20 WRC rally car.
“I raced for the ARA, which stands for the American Rally Association Championship, which is nine events. I raced eight of them. I won four of them,” Block revealed.
His Hyundai imported overseas was modified to comply with the American Rally Association specifications for the 2022 rally season. In the 2021 season, the Hoonigan founder was behind the wheel of Vermont SportsCar’s Subaru WRX STI.
Even though he won four out of the eight races (six podium finishes), the competition wasn’t a breeze for the experienced racer. Barely 36 hours after he’d received his i20 Hyundai, he hit a deer totaling the rally car at the 100 Acre Wood Rally in Salem, Missouri. He finished the event in second place.
“This actually has all the safety. You know the best wheel technology, the best shock technology, the best engine technology. So, the speed is much higher even with a smaller engine,” Block said, introducing the i20 Hyundai rally car. Under the hood, this racer has a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine paired with an electric motor fed by a 3.9-kWh battery. Ken Block admits it’s the best rally car he’s driven so far and puts it on the same level as the Hoonicorn.
Well, after everyone geeked out on the specifications of the i20 Hyundai WRC car, it was time to do the most relevant thing on the burnyard – shred some tires. We recommend catching that action in the video below. PS: he performs the wildest donut stunt on the interwebs inside the Hoonigan garage.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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