Sideways in a 601bhp Scooby at Silverstone
21 September 2009
Vijay Pattni took an extra dose of brave pills and drove with Subaru and internet rally icon Ken Block – the man behind ‘Gymkhana’.
“Erm, have you informed your next of kin?”
The safety steward stares intently before bursting out into a fit of laughter – as I’m signing a form which says I haven’t had any serious medical conditions in the last five years.
“Motorsport is inherently dangerous”, the steward continues. He shrugs his shoulders and signs. “I mean, nothing’s really gone wrong before, but, you know…
With that, I’m pushed towards the open arms of a 601bhp rally-spec Subaru Impreza WRX STI and am left in the talented and cool hands of Ken Block.
“You nervous”, Ken says, in his laid-back Californian drawl. Before I can respond, he’s pressed a big red button on the dashboard and is smiling like a mad man.
“This is the go-faster button right here”.
With that, he guns the accelerator and speeds underneath Silverstone’s Copse Tunnel, lifting all four of the Scooby’s wheels clean off the ground as we exit and head straight for the purpose-built ‘Gymkhana’ track ahead.
Gallery: Ken Block practices 'Gymkhana' at Silverstone
Let’s get Dirty
Ken was at Silverstone to mark the launch of Codemasters’ hot new game, Colin McRae: DiRT 2. The sensational new game showcases the best in off-road racing and extreme sports, putting you in the driving seat of some of the world’s fastest machinery.
Our mole from Codemasters said the game was “a completely immersive experience, not just a series of races”.
And first impressions are excellent – reviewers have been bowled over by the playability of the new driving simulator.
Even a certain Mr Block, who plays it in his spare time…
“I love it”, he enthuses. So much, in fact, that on his very first go Ken whooped pretty much everyone he raced against, proving that if you’ve got it, you’ve got it.
Sideways
And to celebrate the game’s launch, Ken decided to let mere mortals sit in his special, rally-prepped Subaru Impreza WRX STI and race around a bespoke ‘Gymkhana’ style circuit specially made for Silverstone.
If you’re unfamiliar with ‘Gymkhana’, it basically means driving a car around an obstacle course using everything at your disposal – handbrake turns, wheelspins, aerial jumps, donuts, powerslides, drifts…you get the picture.
And rally-fiend Ken has recently risen to the top of the pile as the grandmaster of Gymkhana, thanks to his two sensational internet videos.
Jumping out of the starter’s pit and into the course, Ken immediately kicks into a massive powerslide, drifts it around some cones, drives straight through a tent, round some chicanes…and all the while my stomach is still waiting for me back at the starting point.
As we come to a near halt, I ask if Ken can’t just drive like everybody else and go ‘in a straight line’.
“Driving in a straight line is no fun, man.”
Watch as I get my backside handed to me by the one and only Ken Block:
Video: Auto Trader rides along with rally legend Ken Block
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