Photo: Facebook screenshot
On Saturday morning, when most people were deciding what excuse to come up with to make sure nobody would get mad at them for not doing very much over the next 24 hours, Ken Block was on the Le Mans track.
The drift master of countless Gymkhana videos fame wasn't alone, but with a bright-yellow Ford GT pre-production car. And Block wasn't there just for a commercial photoshoot or something: no, Ford actually arranged for the man to go out on the track right before the race started.
Now we all know Block. We know that while he's an excellent driver, he's not exactly the most competent man behind the wheel of a supercar on a race track. He feels much more at home on a rally stage or drifting his custom-made Hoonicorn.
That's not to say he didn't savor the unique experience of driving one of the most coveted supercars of the moment on the iconic circuit, and all before the actual race had kicked off. And given what people have been saying about Ford's new fast car, there's no better way to enjoy it than on a race track.
While the original Ford GT40 started life as a race car and was later adapted for road use, the new car doesn't follow the same recipe. But it's not far from it, meaning it'll feel more at home on a piece of tarmac with red and white (or blue and yellow) stripes in the bends than as a daily commuter. That might be true for most supercars out there, but it's even more so for the 2017 Ford GT.
As for Ken Block, he was probably a bit frustrated because we assume he wasn't allowed to go sideways in the GT, but he still came out smiling after reaching 160 mph (257 km/h) on a straight. He says the Ford people told him to keep the speed down, but on a race track, they should be more specific than that.
Now we all know Block. We know that while he's an excellent driver, he's not exactly the most competent man behind the wheel of a supercar on a race track. He feels much more at home on a rally stage or drifting his custom-made Hoonicorn.
That's not to say he didn't savor the unique experience of driving one of the most coveted supercars of the moment on the iconic circuit, and all before the actual race had kicked off. And given what people have been saying about Ford's new fast car, there's no better way to enjoy it than on a race track.
While the original Ford GT40 started life as a race car and was later adapted for road use, the new car doesn't follow the same recipe. But it's not far from it, meaning it'll feel more at home on a piece of tarmac with red and white (or blue and yellow) stripes in the bends than as a daily commuter. That might be true for most supercars out there, but it's even more so for the 2017 Ford GT.
As for Ken Block, he was probably a bit frustrated because we assume he wasn't allowed to go sideways in the GT, but he still came out smiling after reaching 160 mph (257 km/h) on a straight. He says the Ford people told him to keep the speed down, but on a race track, they should be more specific than that.
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