My ride with Ken Block in his Gymkhana 3 Ford Fiesta

While attending the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, I had a chance to go for a ride with rally racing superstar Ken Block in his new Gymkhana 3 Ford Fiesta. 

For those unfamiliar with Ken Block and his cars, they are heavily modified for the most abusive off-road racing in the world, while also offering incredible on-road performance.  His Gymkhana 3 Fiesta looks like the standard issue c-segment hatchback covered by Block’s distinctive black, white and green paint scheme but it features a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine making over 650 horsepower, sending the power to the ground by means of an advanced all-wheel-drive system.

The location of my ride-along with Ken Block was right out in front of the Las Vegas Convention Center in a fairly small area of the parking lot sectioned off with concrete barriers, scattered with orange construction barrels serving as obstacles.  Since the outdoor area of SEMA is free to spectators, the area around the temporary racing surface was packed 10-deep with screaming fans who came out to see Ken Block in action, which only made the whole experience that much more exciting.

I got in Ken Block’s car with my helmet and fire hood on and as the mechanics inspected the car (as they did after every run), Ken Block said hello and made some small talk – then the hood was slammed shut, the car was lowered from the jacks and a crewmember slapped the hood and gave Block the thumbs up.  Block turned to me and I also gave him a thumbs up and before I had looked back forward, we had ripped out of the shoot that started the run.  Within seconds, the super modified Ford Fiesta was rocketing along the side of the tarmac area, hurdling us towards the first corner of the square race area at speeds that made me think “we aren’t going to make this turn”…and with a yank of the e-brake handle, the car was sideways, nearly scuffing along the wall as the car made the tight turn and accelerated along the long paved area.  After a few more hair-raising turns inches from the interlocked concrete barriers, Block began doing a series of hairpin, e-brake assisted turns around the construction barrels before heading into a series of “donuts” that got tighter and tighter around one of the barrels until he hit it and knocked it out of the way – bringing on an even louder cheer from the crowd.

I’ve never experienced anything like this before with g-forces pinning me to the seat of Ken Block’s Ford Fiesta rally car as it is ripped back and forth along the tarmac area, frequently making impossible turns around barrels and through water-barriers located in one corner of the race area.  As he slowed the car down and entered the cool down and inspection area where another member of the media was waiting for the ride of a lifetime, I shook Ken Block’s hand and thanked him for an incredible experience.

Never in my life have I been involved in an automotive experience that left me so packed full of adrenaline and for everyone out there who has watched Ken Block compete, it really is as crazy in person as it is watching it on television.