Ken Block and Gymkhana
[ November 18th, 2008 ] By: Charles Smith Posted in » Ramblings
So far, it seems like everyone and their mothers have seen this. A video of Ken Block practicing in his Gymkhana car:
What is Gymkhana?
I first thought it was some sort of Hibachi bar (seriously…I am that dumb). Then I found out it is like Autocross’ cousin from Japan (at least I got the country right). But bigger, longer and way more technical. The ‘longness’ of the courses is partly what makes Gymkhana so difficult and that is exactly why someone like Ken Block benefits from this. Rally racers see the same corner only a few times during a race. The same skill that goes into memorizing a Gymkhana course translates right into memorizing a stage (during recce).
Apparently it has a big following in Japan and has dedicated tracks and whatnot. However its following is growing in the US (especially with the help of people like Ken Block).
While it may seem like Ken Block just got into Gymkhana, he’s had the car for a while (at least a year). Aaron from DirtyImpreza has proof of that posted on YouTube. That video has also seen quite a boost in hits. While it is not purely Rally this type of coverage is great for the sport.
Thanks for Idiot Cyvant for reminding me about the video.
