Daredevil to start in Rally New Zealand

Daredevil to start in Rally New Zealand

American Ken Block, one of the daredevils of world rallying, is a confirmed starter in next week’s Rally New Zealand.

The 38th Rally New Zealand, Round 11 of the FIA World Rally Championship, will be based in Hamilton, heading to the King Country, Waikato and Franklin districts from 30 August to 2 September.

Block is best known for his amazing 52m jump in his Subaru Impreza in the Discovery Channel’s ‘Stunt Junkies’ show in the USA.

Co-founder of the DC Shoes brand, the 39 year old businessman has a history of extreme sports – a keen skateboarder, snowboarder and motocross rider. Having recently placed second at the X Games in California, he is now in his third season of rally driving - using his New Zealand experience as a stepping-stone to the world:

“One main reason I am coming down to race is that I want more experience driving Group N production cars. But I also want to race the great roads in the unique and beautiful country of New Zealand,” said Block from his California home.

“The roads I have driven so far this year down there (Otago and Whangarei) are some of the best and most technical roads I have ever driven. It’s been a great, yet very challenging experience to learn to race on those roads.”

Having set the world record 52m jump in November 2006, Block makes his first start to the FIA World Rally Championship as part of his involvement in the 2007 Vantage Aluminium Joinery New Zealand Rally Championship.

With a flamboyant driving style – similar to good friend and 1995 World Rally Champion Colin McRae, Block is having to adjust to driving the Group N production specification Impreza. “The Group N car is very different from what we race here in the US. I really enjoy driving the Group N car, but it’s hard to bounce back and fourth between the two cars. It’s especially hard to be competitive against guys that drive that car (Group N) and work on their setups all the time. I will try my hardest, though!”

Winning a silver medal at the 13 th X Games in Los Angeles earlier this month, Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino have one more rally event before flying to New Zealand. “I have one Rally America National Championship race between X Games and WRC NZ.

The Ojibwe Forests Rally is the weekend before New Zealand. So, we will be jumping on a plane and getting to New Zealand as quick as we can."

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