World RX – Ken Block: An honor to compete against Loeb

Today one of the headliners of the World RX peloton, Ken Block nevertheless began his career in motorsport in rally, competing for several seasons in the American championship in the specialty, as well as several rounds in the World Championship.

In parallel with his now famous Gymkhanas, the native of Long Beach in California reoriented his career towards rallycross, first in the United States as part of the Global Rallycross Challenge before moving this year full-time to World RX, with the Ford Focus RS RX of the Hoonigan Racing Division, and support from Ford Performance.

“This year we decided to develop a completely new car, and we understand that this will sometimes be difficult, Block admitted to us recently. It’s clearly a year of learning. We haven't been able to do a lot of testing.

Most of the tests we did were in racing... I am aware that against guys like Petter Solberg, it will take us a little time to be able to compete over the length of a season. The idea this year is really to develop the car, find the set-ups that suit each circuit, and if possible grab a few podiums. To come back stronger next year. »

The American also does not hide his admiration for Sébastien Loeb, a real source of inspiration according to him. “He is one of the greatest drivers of all time. He is one of those who made me dream. It's an honor for me to compete against him. »

Find our full interview and our portrait of Ken Block, in issue 2076 of AUTOhebdo, available in digital version, and on newsstands.