Inside Scoop with Ken Block

Last night we managed to scoop an interview with Gymkhana/ Rally Cross legend Ken Block, who’s in South Africa for the Clarkson, Hammond and May Live show taking place this weekend (12 – 14 June).
Block will be guest appearing in the show with his one of a kind, all wheel drive, custom built 1965 V8 Ford Mustang with a massive 845 Horsepower, dubbed the Hoonicorn.
See what he had to say about the car and what can be expected in the show.

You’ve come off a crazy week with X Games happening last weekend to getting on a plane to South Africa for the Clarkson, Hammond and May Live show this weekend. How are you feeling?
I actually feel quite good, I travel year round so there’s a certail amount that I just have to get used to, like jetlag and that sort of thing. It has already been a big year for me, I had two races down in New Zealand, had X Games, raced in Fort Lauderdale which started off our global Rally Cross championship and I was able to come away with a win, so it’s been good so far. I’m really dissapointed that I had a driveshaft break at X Games and ended up with a shitty result, but that’s racing.

What are you looking forward to most this weekend?
I’ve been a fan of the Topgear show forever, so anytime these guys ask me to come do this sort of stuff, I really enjoy doing it. So for me it’s just a really fun weekend to come down here and interact with the fans, be able to put on a good show. This is the first time we’ve had this car (Hoonicorn) out doing a demo. It did the video, then it’s done a couple phot0-shoots and things behind the scenes, stuff that isn’t out yet and now this is the first time we’ve actually had the car out for a demo. It will be nice to actualy put on a demonstration of what this car is capable of.

What can fans expect from you and the Hoonicorn?
I’ll be able to slide around and give a good demonstration of what the car’s capable of, unfortunately with this surface (inside the Ticketpro Dome) it makes it quite dangerous to be trying to scrape walls but I”ll do the best job I can to put on a good show.

What would be the main difference in the show if you were on a surface you prefer compared to the surface inside the Ticketpro Dome?
I’d have a lot more control on a grippy surface. I’d be able to put it a lot closer to the wall and that sort of thing. With this it’s really quite scary, it’s like driving on ice. It takes so much more of a careful approach here, cause the last thing I want to do it put it in the wall and break it. Hopefull we’ll give a good experience for the fans, who’ll be able to see the car, see what’s possible with it but you know, not at the highest level that I’d like.

Explain what its like to actually drive the Hoonicorn?
Everything comes from the basic setup of stage rally, cause that’s what I know, that’s what I started as. So this car is very similar to any other all wheel drive stage rally car. If a stage rally driver got into this car it would be very familiar to them. For me its really quite fun because the car was specifically custom built to do Gymkhana, so the setup of it works really well for that. The other cars that I have are meant to do other things and we had to change them to do Gymkhana stuff, whereas this with a big V8, 800 horsepower, no turbo so its very linear horsepower, it’s really easy to drive and a lot of fun to drive

Out of other cars we’ve seen you drive which one is your favourite and most exilerating?
It’s a tough question and an easy question. This (Hoonicorn) is actually the best car I’ve ever driven because it’s designed specifically to do Gymkhana and with all the horspower it has, it just makes it a joy to drive. The Fiesta that I race in the States right now is actually technically the best Gymkhana car, because I can turn it on on a dime. How it’s setup and what we do for Rally Cross with it, it’s so acurate and so pin point but it also is a bit more stressful to drive because you have to be so on point to put it where you need to put it. They’re two different beasts but both amazing in their own ways.

While you are in SA have you got any other plans or things you would like to do?
I’m gonna hopefully get out a few times and actually see some of Johannesburg, hopefully get out and see some wildlife but I really don’t have that much spare time. I will get out and try and see as much as I can. At the end of the day I’m really here to enjoy and meet all the motorsports fans, cause I hear motorsports has a big following here. And just enjoy doing this show, I do a lot of things throughout the year but being able to work and interact with these three hosts (Clarkson, Hammond and May) and this show is always very fun for me, so I’m looking forward to really jusy having a great time doing that.

Have you got any words for you fans coming out to see the show this weekned?
I hope they enjoy seeing what we are able to do here, unfortunatelly this isn’t the best venue for what I do but it is what it is. It’s great to have this car out and be able to show that fans that enjoy what I do, and give them the experience of seeing this car up close. For me, it’s one thing to see the car in the videos but I always enjoy showing these cars off and the driving teqniques live, because it really is something that takes a lot of skill. We enjoy showing people where they can see it, smell the tyres smoking, smell the fuel and the exhaust, and when you hear that exhaust! It’s a totally different experience seeing it live.

Photos by Hoonigan Racing and LW Mag