There is a famous image of Ken Block that is beautiful and frightening at the same time.
When printed, the image is 2 feet wide and 6 feet tall. In it, Block's helmet is barely visible as he navigates one of the most dangerous corners of Colorado's famed pikes Peak hill climb. Block has taken the corner so fast that his front tires are smoking while his back tires are kissing the mountain's edge. Disaster is a possibility.
Larry Chen took a picture of Block and his family at the next turn. People ask him to share the best photo he has ever taken. Chen says that his easy answer is "I haven't shot it yet."
He knew that wasn't true. He knew he had taken the best picture. Chen says he assumed Ken would top what he did before. He did.
Block was a calculated risk-taker, a marketing genius, and a man who always had something better coming just around the corner.
He will never be able to top it. I've been pondering that a lot.
Many are in Block's space. Two days after the death of the co- founder of DC Shoes and Hoonigan, those who knew him best are remembering him as much for the impact he had on them as for the way he changed their industries.
They would like to discuss Ken Block the man.
Block's friend and X Games teammate, TV host and rally driver, says that to be committed to being great in the sport, you have to give up personal relationships and family. When Ken began rally racing, I met him. He excelled in competition as his family grew. His way of living was inspiring. I was shown the way by him.
It was true for many if Block was their boss, sponsor, competitor, athlete or friend. He was a visionary who didn't just choose the road less traveled, he discovered routes that weren't known to others and figured out a way to draw the mass to them. He was not satisfied with finding the secret passage. He wanted it to be open for everyone to see.
Skateboarding was the first one to start that.
Neither Block nor Way had a degree in business. Skateboarders knew what was missing from the market: a technical shoe that held up to the rigorous demands of their sport and had style beyond looking like basketball kicks. The first DC skate shoe was designed using skateboarders' input. Danny Way, Colin McKay, and Rob Dyrdek all wore those shoes in ad campaigns.
Dyrdek told me that Ken was the first person to use black-and-white photos of skaters in campaigns. A huge market in skate footwear was defined by that.
DC was generating millions of dollars in revenue within a year and their shoes were objects of fashion. He designed a tool for skateboarders, but his campaigns spoke to kids who hadn't done a flip. He expanded the company into BMX, motocross and snowboarding, sports for which he was passionate. He sponsored athletes who competed in the Olympics. He earned a reputation for being a marketing maverick and creative genius.
Block was able to package the joy of the core community in a way that connected with the mainstream. He didn't sell skateboards, BMX or motocross at DC. The sports they sold were special.
Block began to chase a long-abandoned dream after he and Way sold the company. The sport of rally racing was not well known in North America. He was 37 years old when he got behind the wheel of a car for the first time. He was a privateer that day, and he didn't make a lot of noise. That anonymity ended soon.
He was a podium threat within 5 years. A new interest in the sport was sparked by Block's battles with Pastrana. He brought a stadium-friendly version of stage rally to X Games, showed stars like Dave Mirra and Brian Deegan a new post-retirement path, and became one of only two Americans to score points in the World Rally Championship.
Block created a successful company, sponsored some of the best action sports athletes in the world, then sold his company and became more famous than the athletes themselves. He showed the drivers and the industry how to move forward.
The way drivers marketed themselves was changed byKen. The entire automotive culture was changed by him. He showed that a driver could create value off the track through their sponsorship. He made it easier for people to get into the sport.
There was also Gymkhana. Block's legacy can be summed up in a single word. Block redefined the word and launched it into the motorsports lexicon. Gymkhana is a type of equestrian competition that blends many forms of riding. The Gymkhana is a mix of stunt driving, drifting, rally and performance art. Block said in 2010 that it was the first time a motor vehicle had been used in a dynamic way.
Few people were aware of Gymkhana before he dropped his first video. It's a marketing term.
Pastrana does not know where the rally is without Ken. He was an athlete in more than one sport. He was the athlete. He gave people like me a chance to do amazing things. A new level of professionalism was brought by him. Measuring his impact is not possible. He was the driving force of the industry.
Block, his wife, Lucy, and their oldest daughter, Lia, competed in the American Rally Association Championship. "It was the best time I have had with him," Pastrana1-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-6556 was1-65561-6556 was1-65561-6556 was1-65561-65561-6556 was1-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-6556
Block was in charge of action sports. He had to reconcile being in front of the camera and being a businessman, with people seeing him as an athlete. He became the kind of athlete he would like to sponsor. He showed up early for autograph signings, answered emails within an hour of receiving them, and granted interviews to outlets large and small.
Block was large and effusive. He had a good time laughing and interacting with the camera. He was quiet and shy.
"He'd often say, 'Can't you just say it for me?'" says Brian Scotto, Block's long time partner and co- founder of the automotive brand Hoonigan. He didn't like talking on camera. It was my job to make him want to join.
Block's channel was the most popular on the internet, but he never felt comfortable in the spotlight. He accepted the responsibility of being the man beneath it.
He treated every shot like it was his final one.
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