Rally driver Ken Block, known for his extreme YouTube videos (viewed over a billion times) of him performing high-speed controlled drifts in modified cars on the streets of Los Angeles, London or San Francisco, is killed Monday snowmobiling in Utah. This influencer was not only a driving freak, but also a successful entrepreneur. His net worth today is US$200 million (CA$273 million). Here are the main projects in which he was involved involved.
• Also read: Ken Block, rally driver and internet star, dies in snowmobile accident
Audiovisual with Hoonigan Industries
Photo from Ken Block’s Instagram page
After selling DC Shoes, the entrepreneur founded Hoonigan Industries. One of its subsidiaries, Hoonigan Media Machine, creates videos of extreme stunts, racing, and how-to racing videos. According to the ESPN channel, the Gymkhana series videos have been viewed more than a billion times.
DC shoes
Photo from the DC Shoes website
In 1993, Ken and a friend founded DC Shoes, the popular skateboarding shoe brand, in Ken’s garage in Carlsbad, California. He needed $10,000 in seed capital, and after much persuasion, his parents agreed to loan him the money, according to Hotcars.com. After 10 years, the company had a turnover of $100 million. Quicksilver bought the company in 2004 for $87 million.
Partnerships with car manufacturers
Screenshot, Youtube
After his adventure with DC Shoes, Ken Block got into dirt rally racing. During his career, Block won five Top 5 races in a Subaru WRX STi and was named 2005 Rally America Rookie of the Year. He entered into partnerships with the car manufacturers Subaru and later Ford.
One of the faces of the Can-Am brand
Photo from the BRP website
Since 2015, Ken Block has been a Can-Am brand ambassador for snowmobiles and SUVs, manufactured by Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP). His task was to demonstrate the capabilities of the Maverick SUV. He also died on Monday on a snowmobile, the model of which has not been confirmed.
The development of emission-free cars
Audi Communication Motorsport
Ken Block recently teamed up with Audi to help develop zero-emission cars. According to RPMweb, Block would be responsible for technical development for the electric cars and act as a test driver for the company. In an Audi statement, Block mentions that reducing emissions is important, but also: “The electric car is much faster! And anything that lets me drive faster makes me happy.”
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