We were all fans of Ken Block

There's a good chance you're a fan of Ken Block. Even if you only knew him as the guy that slides cars around in those videos, I bet he has had a bigger influence on you than you realize.

The kid was the one who lived on the grove. He was dropped into the center of the maelstrom of early ‘80s skateboarding by his parents. He was surrounded by a group of people who were going to be in sports. The friends he made there would have a huge impact.

You think Ken Block influenced you more than he actually did.

The era of early superstars like Tony Hawk, John Cardiel, and Eric Koston was a time when Ken Block was a fan. After attempting to become a professional snowboarder, Block returned to Southern California and devoted himself to his love of design. He started printing t-shirts for friends.

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The brother of a skateboarder was one of those friends. Droors clothing was founded by Block and Way. Block's parents lent him money. It is hard to imagine how much that investment would benefit from. Why doesn't it happen directly? It wasn't the clothes that made the brand.

On the skate scene, the brand's clean kicks became very popular.

Ken Block was a fan of DC Shoes in the early 2000s. The brand's clean kicks became de rigueur on the skate scene with a focus on quality andDurability that set them apart It wouldn't be long before the bigger brands came knocking after Block ran the company. They sold DC Shoes to Quicksilver for $90 million. Over the next few years, performance bonuses would almost double that amount. The motorsports side of the story will come in at this time.

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If you were a fan of the amateur rally in North America in 2005, you would be a fan of Ken Block. Block's success in DC Shoes was followed by his passion for cars. He used a rally car from Vermont Sports Car to place fourth in the inaugural Rally America National Championship and win the Freshman of the Year award.

Block formed a rally team with Pastrana. Pastrana won the 2006 Rally America Championship while Block came in second. Thanks to those two, stage rallies were about to go mainstream in the US.

Block's success was immediately followed by his love for cars.

If you were a fan of the X Games, you would be a fan of Ken Block. Pastrana and Block took gold and bronze in the first ever rally driving at the X Games. Colin McRae rolled his own car in the process of taking silver.

If you were a fan of the cars in that era, you would like Ken Block. He showed up at local meets to sign posters and hang out with his fans. Block became an avid member of what was then the largest online forum for Subaru-minded misfits, the North American subaru owners club, where he would post links to early videos of himself sliding around in his car

If you were a fan of the show in 2009, you would like Ken Block. Who wasn't a fan of the show when it was on? The careers of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May still ride the seismic waves of popularity from those years, and Block's appearance on TopGear series 13 launched this new phase of his own.

Block's first gymkhana video was filmed by a few friends from school and was released the year before. It was only when Block took Captain Slow for a spin that he was able to make a name for himself.

Ken Block is a fan of gymkhana videos. Gymkhanas used to be obscure, like a low-speed parking lot autocross with U-turns. The word has become synonymous with Block and his cars and he signed a deal with Ford to take him global.

He entered the World Rally Championship with Ford. A limited program was run in the Ford Fiesta. Only entering a few rounds a year meant he wouldn't have a chance against competitors who'd been doing it their whole lives. His driving style earned him many fans. The Gymkhana Files continued to get bigger and bigger. The first video has 15 million views, but it is a bit misleading.

Ken Block is a fan of aggressively edited action sports clips posted on the internet. There was a gymkhana video that set the template. 30 million streams were racked up by Block on his own site. Block had to ask sponsors to help with the cost because he was paying so much. He saved costs by uploading it to the video sharing website. The franchise proved to athletes and sponsors that the place for uploading their antics was the newly acquired streaming platform.

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The budgets grew larger as Block's views increased and The Gymkhana Files' profile grew. Block's franchise became an icon in the enthusiast world, but unlike the Fast and Furious films, Block never forgot what made them great: the cars and the driving.

Everyone was still enthusiastic even after the switch to electrification. Hoonitron, his first video with a new partner, was viewed 7 million times in a few months.

Block's franchise was an icon in the enthusiast world.

All of Block's fans wanted to come along with him for whatever he was up to. It is hard to believe that Block was not having a lot of fun on social media.

Many of Ken Block's posts were about his daughter Lia, giving us all a reason to be a fan of him. All of the Block family have my deepest sympathies.

Block was a hardcore rally nerd who made it big and lived the dream. I met him for the first time at the International Consumer Electronics Show. He ran out of time for the dog and pony show before he showed up for our interview. I didn't want to make his time any worse than it already was, so I asked him about his cars, his hobbies, and his favorite things. Even if I didn't give my producers anything worth watching, it was a great conversation.

The creative side is what I'll be remembered for.

What was the man's legacy? He said in an interview with the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation that bringing the creativity of skateboarding and snowboarding into the automotive world has probably been the most fun for him.

The gifts Block left with the world feel fresh and fun to watch. His success will encourage others to do better. Block told The Economic Times that his gymkhana videos were still an experiment. As more and more people attempt to fill the void left by Ken Block, they will continue to do so for a long time.