Ken Block is a professional racing driver with the Hoonigan Racing Division, this team is sponsoring many racing drivers. During his career, Ken won numerous awards and trophies; he proved his talent several times. Ken is not just a rally driver; he has experience in many sports. Ken began his career as a basketball player, but soon realized that he wanted to try something more extreme. He has won numerous awards in skateboarding, snowboarding and motocross.
As a teenager Ken showed a lot of interest in fashion and design. On one occasion, he said that during the high school he had a dream to study at the Faculty of Fashion and Design, but after this he realized that sport was the best decision for him.
Despite this decision, Ken remained in love with fashion. We often see him at fashion shows, and he has admitted several times that his dream is to open a fashion house. In addition to this hobby, Ken is co-owner of the popular band DC Shoes. This brand deals with the creation of footwear which is intended for extreme sports.
Ken is the founder of Hoonigan Industries; this brand has become very popular over the last few years, especially in the world of sports. Hoonigan Industries is engaged in designing clothes, shoes and accessories for extreme athletes. This brand is different from others for its special design, but also for the comfort of clothing and footwear.
Ken is one of the main designers of Hoonigan Industries, and he acknowledged that his only goal was to help athletes to feel safe and comfortable. This brand was established in America, but after a few years it expanded to Europe.
The founding of these two brands helped Ken get a tremendous wealth, but he never gave up on sports. Despite the huge wealth, Ken is still a participant in numerous races.
It is interesting that Ken has got many faithful followers around the world; many people envy him on courage and persistence because he risks his life every day. Ken is also very popular in the media because of his private life, emotional relationships and friends.
Today’s article will be dedicated to the popular American rally driver Ken Block, who has proven that you should always listen to your intuition, believe in yourself, and be persistent and willing to take risks. Ken has proven that people are ready to risk their lives for the things they love and for the thing which fulfill them and make them happy.
We can admire Ken for a number of reasons, and one of these reasons are creativity, persistence, risk and self-confidence. In the best period of his career, Ken decided to listen to his intuition and start a completely different business. After a few years it turned out that this decision was correct and its risk was reimbursed.
In an interview with ESPN News Block, he said his life was risk-based, but thanks to that he felt alive and happy.
In this text we will talk about the life of Ken Block, we will talk about his childhood and early life, his family, friends, career and private life.
Early life
Ken was born in Long Beach, California. He grew up in a wealthy family, but his parents were patriarchal and they never allowed Ken to feel all the benefits of wealth. His mother was a lawyer, while his father was a surgeon.
His parents met at the University, and a few years later they were married. Ken does not have siblings, his mother had a very hard pregnancy, after which doctors advised her to operate the womb.
Ken lived with his parents until his fifth year, after which his parents divorced and Ken moved with his mother to Los Angeles. For several years, he lived with his grandfather, who was a big lover in the car. Ken says the greatest impact on him was by his grandfather Anthony; he was a car mechanic and had a car collection. When he was a teenager Ken repaired cars with his grandfather.
Ken remained in good relations with his father, but the big change occurred when his father remarried, after this there was no contact between them. Ken admits that after this event, he never had good relations with his father again. He received the greatest support from his mother and grandfather, and they had the greatest influence on him.
Ken did not like school, but he had quite good results in sports, especially in basketball. Beside basketball, he had a talent for drawing that is why he started designing clothes in the free time.
One year before the end of the high school, Ken decided to continue his education at the University of California, he wanted to become a professional basketball player. Ken did not have any doubts about this plan, but the event that changed his life took place several months before going to study.
Ken received his first car for his 18th birthday as a gift from his grandfather. It was a special sports car model that was designed to withstand high speed. This was the first time for Ken to feel the energy of this car, and after a few hours he changed his decision. His first drive has filled all the expectations; he was fascinated by the speed, strength and power of the car.
In an interview for ESPN News, Ken said that this drive changed his thinking and worldview. He said that this ride opened his eyes and enabled him to feel a completely different energy and power. After that moment, he decided to dedicate himself to a completely new experience. Ken admitted that after this drive, he began to live a completely different life, he tried out many extreme sports and so far Ken has shown very good results.
The family and friends were always with him and provided him with enormous support. At the beginning of his career, he did not have the support of his mother because she did not want her son to risk his life, but after a while she realized that only his happiness was important.
Career
Ken began his career in 2005 when he was invited to participate in the rally race. He received a call from the Vermont Sports Car Team to perform for their team and to show talent in this sport. He accepted the call and his career started. In the first race for this team he finished in the 10th position. This was an incentive for him and he thought he would be even more successful in the next races.
During 2005, Ken had several good results and finished third in group A. He signed a contract with Subaru next year and was supposed to represent their vehicles.
During 2006, Ken had several good results and his best placement was when he finished as 3 in a race in Australia. After this race, he realized that he could achieve even more success and continued to train and progress.
In 2006 he applied to participate in the Rally America National Championship and finished as second-placed. This was a great success for him and his team and he decided to continue his career in this sport and thought he would be much better in the future.
During 2007, Ken participated in a lot of rally races. His best results were in New Zealand and Mexico where he finished in the second and third positions. After these races he improved his position and was among the top 20 best rally drivers in the world. At the end of 2007 he managed to win two races and after that he became one of the favorites to win the title in rally driving.
In 2008, Ken signed a new contract with his team and Subaru. For him a new vehicle was designed, which should have a much higher speed. He managed to win the first place in Australia and the UK. After these races he decided to apply for a new race in Africa. In this race, he was among the top three in the standings but had an accident with the car. He hit a tree while driving and his car broke down. He had to give up the race and was very disappointed after that.
During 2008 and 2009 he won 3 gold medals and one bronze. He was very successful in his career and was among the top 10 best rally drivers in the world. It was a great motive for him and he did not want to give up his career and he wanted to make progress.
In 2010, Ken overtook co-operation with Subaru and signed a contract with Ford. He got a very good deal where he needed to get a lot of money.
He also got the latest model of the car with which he was supposed to represent Ford in the next races. This contract motivated him very much and in his first race for Ford he won a gold medal. In the next two races he was among the top three drivers and he scored great results.
In 2011, he broke new records in rally driving and attracted the attention of the world public. He had a very good relationship with Ford and in 2012 they produced a new model car for Ken. He continued to achieve good results and at the end of the year he won the races in New Zealand and Scotland. In 2013, Ken had a traffic accident and had to pause. He had to miss half a year because he could not compete.
After recovering from injury, Ken continued with the races, but during the year he did not achieve a notable result. During 2014 and 2015, Ken won 2 bronze and this was his best result. He continued to perform for Ford and refused other offers.
In 2015 and 2016 Ken achieved the best results in races in Spain, Portugal and Mexico. He was no longer in the top 10 best rally drivers and he was very disappointed about that. He thought that he could continue to produce good results. At the beginning of 2016, Ken received an offer to record a car show and give his professional opinion. He had to pause in his career and decided to start recording this show.
This show is called Top Gear, and in every show he comments on the latest models of the car and gives his opinion on them. He is very popular among people who love cars and who follow rally races. He left a great track in this sport and he was heard by everyone who loved and followed the rally.
Personal Life
Ken has achieved many successes during his lifetime and has earned a lot of new career opportunities. He managed to make a brand and become an excellent rally driver. He made a lot of profits and managed to financially secure his family.
During his career, he has been with several well-known figures in relationship. In 2012, reporters reported that Ken was in a relationship with a famous singer, but he later denied it. In 2016, he received a child with girlfriend with whom he was 2 years. They broke up, but the child remained to live with him. He is in a very excellent relationship with his son and he is trying to pass on his love for cars to him. His son is currently 3 years old and Ken is trying to provide him with a great life.
Ken currently lives in Chicago and often appears on the television. He still has his show and we can see the latest car models and hear tips from Ken in this show. Ken has announced that he will launch new projects in the future and that his fans will be delighted. He still loves cars very much and he thinks that his son will be a successful rally driver in the future.
Quick Summary
Full name: Ken Block
Date of birth: November 21, 1967
Birthplace: Long Beach, California, USA
Age: 52
Profession: Rally driver
Height: 182 cm
Weight: 83 kg
Net Worth: $20 million
