Atko 2010

[rallyfiend]

Some good news...

autosport.com - WRC News: Block lined up for WRC campaign

What a huge opportunity this would provide. The profile generated would be unbelievable.

[JohnnoEH]

Damn, I'm gonna have to buy more rally jackets/t-shirts...

I really hope this happens.

[chacheen]

i watched the preview for rally spain that wrc tv made and there was a section in it profiling ken block i thought it was unusual at the time that he all of a sudden popped up in a wrc programme.....now we know why....also i think malcom wilson will jump at the chance to get more focus's competeing to try balance with citreon....chris will def be quicker that henning and al quasami.....

[legend]

good news for Chris if it happens. but am I the only one on the forum who actually doesn't think Ken Block is some God. he's a good video editor, but thats about all IMO.

I also heard Chris was rumoured to be in a suzuki next year.

[slowlearner]

I don't know if Block's real world ability is as important as the effect he has had on the popular interest in rallying. He's appealing to many that are not the "farmer's son/bearded classic car nut" that Clarkson et al keep telling us are the stereotypical rally fanatics. And his "put the fun back in" take on editing videos makes his driving more interesting than the 'world cup soccer highlights' approach to coverage that seems to be so popular with the WRC these days.

But what I reckon it all boils down to is, Block does all the stuff we'd want to do if someone said, "here's a free 450hp subaru rally car". Big jumps, big stupid drifts, etc... he shows it off AND gets away with it. He's a rally bogun's wet dream.

[Necx0]

I KNEW IT!!!!!!!!!!

Ever since those videos circulated with Chris giving Ken driving advice I thought that is too much of a coincidence. A rally nut with more money than he knows what to do with and a company that perfectly fits the profile of rallying. Add to that an out of work top line driver who perfectly fits the company profile just makes too much sense.

Hopefully they give the cars to M-Sport to run though, although I imagine that would be in the contract to use Focuses that they would have to be under M-sport's care?

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by legend

good news for Chris if it happens. but am I the only one on the forum who actually doesn't think Ken Block is some God. he's a good video editor, but thats about all IMO.

I also heard Chris was rumoured to be in a suzuki next year.

Hell no, Block aint jsut a video editor.

Block has single handedly with his own money resurrected rallying in the USA, given it a new face, put it back on TV and given it big exposure. His videos are all about his DC Shoes brand of course, but they are generating big interest in the sport in the USA.

He is a guy who genuinely loves the sport and is damn keen for it succeed because of it.

You can guarenttee that this one huge publicity boost and yet again hauls rallying up into the spotlight. The mere fact he's dragging Chris along will be great for the sport here too. This IS seriously exciting stuff - and good on Ken for putting more of his money into the sport. I'll go buy a few DC Shoes

[gslrallysport]

Originally Posted by Marcus

Hell no, Block aint jsut a video editor.

Block has single handedly with his own money resurrected rallying in the USA, given it a new face, put it back on TV and given it big exposure. His videos are all about his DC Shoes brand of course, but they are generating big interest in the sport in the USA.

He is a guy who genuinely loves the sport and is damn keen for it succeed because of it.

You can guarenttee that this one huge publicity boost and yet again hauls rallying up into the spotlight. The mere fact he's dragging Chris along will be great for the sport here too. This IS seriously exciting stuff - and good on Ken for putting more of his money into the sport. I'll go buy a few DC Shoes

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Marcus again...

+ 1 Yes he's a decent video editor (but still has to steer to begin with) but with no rally experience jumped into a rally car and made regular rally competitors look ordinary. I've got 2 season of Rally America on DVD, and not only is he a decent steerer, an all round very nice guy, one of the the least self centered professional drivers on the planet, but as Marcus said, loves the sport, has thrown more money at it than you can possibly imagine, and cracked a market obsessed by cars that only turn left with a front suspension setup designed in the 1960s...

Is he a god of driving and outright car control? Probably not... Is he a god of rallying? Most definitely!!!

[pvda]

Originally Posted by Necx0

Focuses

or is that Focii???

[Dave Kelly]

Originally Posted by Marcus

.... I'll go buy a few DC Shoes

Do they come in sets of three?



On a more serious note...it'll be interesting to see just how Block goes in a WRC car and against the worlds best ... however ultimately however he goes, it presumably will be good for the sport with the potential for wider exposure in a huge market like the US...

Cheers

Dave

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by Dave Kelly

Do they come in sets of three?



On a more serious note...it'll be interesting to see just how Block goes in a WRC car and against the worlds best ... however ultimately however he goes, it presumably will be good for the sport with the potential for wider exposure in a huge market like the US...

Cheers

Dave

I wish I was Jake the Peg, I could third foot brake then

Block isnt the worlds greatest driver - and he would admit that - he's in it for the rush. But he's the kind the sport desperatly needs, no matter how well he goes, he'll be able to be a real personality and a media focus.

Let's face it, Loeb hasnt exactly been the best ambassador the sport ever had. Block in one rally could generate more excitement than Loeb has his entire career.

[mattj]

and if kimi comes from f1 to rallying and rossi gives up the bikes for rallying... then we would have a few more noteworthy drivers

[macksrallye]

If you look at his results in Rally America you'll also se that he is very Vatanen/McRae in his style. Ridiculously fast & flogs everyone or throws it away trying. The WRC has lack that sort of driver for a while now, Petter was a little like that a few years ago but then his confidence went down the drain along with the quality of the Subaru. This could be very entertaining.

[Mike Cherry]

Once bedded in, this team would be able to seriously challenge for podiums.
I see them as a dynamic team, able to self promote and excite people to want to be there, Petter could be a handy addition, look at the following he has.
It is not necessarily all about winning (but it does help), its about exposure and generating excitement, we haven't seen that in the sport for quite some time.
We haven't seen anything like that here since Possum passed by our way.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by Mike Cherry

Once bedded in, this team would be able to seriously challenge for podiums.
I see them as a dynamic team, able to self promote and excite people to want to be there, Petter could be a handy addition, look at the following he has.
It is not necessarily all about winning (but it does help), its about exposure and generating excitement, we haven't seen that in the sport for quite some time.
We haven't seen anything like that here since Possum passed by our way.

Petter's team he has now I would say is already doing the same, especially as now he is in a decent car. Hell, in a 4 year old Xara he was doing okay and actually having fun. In the C4, he's got a grin from ear to ear.

Both Petter and Chris were immediatly fast in the C4 - the Subaru was quite obviously now a complete turd.