Ken Block and Ford have announced that their exclusive partnership has come to an end.
Stretching back 11 years, Block, his Hoonigan outfit, and the Blue oval have collaborated on US and international rally programs, rallycross efforts in Global Rallycross and the World Rallycross Championship, and eight Gymkhana videos – plus the Climbkana and Terrakhana spin-offs and the Emmy nominated Gymkhana Files TV series.
Both sides have also worked together on remarkable one-off build projects, most notably the V8 four-wheel-drive ‘Hoonicorn’ Mustang and the Ford GT-powered ‘Hoonitruck’.
“Today I have a big announcement, that after 11 years of working with Ford, I don’t how else to say this, but we’ve decided to see other people,” Block said in a video posted to social media.
“Racing has been great and rallying, and rallycross. [I’ve achieved] 19 wins, 17 podiums, two X Games medals, points in the WRC, seven or eight gymkhana videos [which got] over 500 million views.
“The Hoonitruck, Hoonicorn and the Emmy award nominated Gymkhana Files on Amazon Prime, it’s been rad doing all these things with Ford.
“I’m very excited about all the plans we have for 2021 and we will be announcing those quite soon.”
Photo: Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
Acknowledging the partnership, which has yielded 19 victories across multiple disciplines and series, Ford Performance said: “All of us at Ford are very grateful for Ken Block and his bringing the thrill of Ford Performance vehicles to a whole new generation of car buyers.
It’s been an awesome 11 years with Ford in an exclusive sponsorship, but the time has come to start seeing other people! I’ve had 19 wins, 17 podiums and 2 X Games medals with Ford in rally and rallycross, along with 500+ million views on the Gymkhana videos, … (1/2) pic.twitter.com/4tUO7znK3p
— Ken Block (@kblock43) January 8, 2021
“He did it in ways that were uniquely Ken – with fun, energetic and extraordinary driving exhibitions that were unmatched in the automotive world, along with important victories and performances in rally & rallycross worldwide.”
While the announcement marks the end of Block and Ford’s exclusive alignment, the door has been left open for future collaborations.
Block will now also be free to work with other manufacturers. In announcing the news on social media, Block teased a potential upcoming collaboration with Subaru, panning to the Impreza WRX STI he drove in Gymkhana Two.
Block broke into professional motorsport with the Subaru in the mid-2000s and claimed nine Rally America wins with the Japanese brand between 2005-2009.
The latest edition of Block’s long-running Gymkhana series also featured a Subaru as its star car, albeit with Travis Pastrana driving.
