► Ken Block’s latest Gymkhana film
► Climbkhana takes on Pikes Peak
► Watch all the Gymkhana videos here
Sideways fans, rejoice! It’s time to show Ken Block’s Climbkhana: Pikes Peak Featuring the Hoonicorn V2, the latest video from the maverick oversteer specialist.
It’s the latest in Ken’s canon and this time he’s taking the methanol-fuelled, 1400bhp 1965 Ford Mustang Hoonicorn RTR V2 up a very iconic hillclimb: all 14,000 feet of Pikes Peak.
Enjoy the new video in the player above and catch up on the previous instalments in the Block-busting (sorry) video franchise below.
Obituary: Ken Block 1967-2023
A potted history of the Gymkhana series
The Gymkhana series has come a long way since Block first slid a Subaru around a scrubby airfield for the cameras back in 2008 to help flog some shoes. We’ve put all the videos in order at the foot of this article, so you can follow the Gymkhana story from start to finish.
The original video – Gymkhana Practice
Where it all began: ‘Gymkhana Practice’ sees Block in a 2006 Subaru Impreza rally car at a nondescript airfield, giving us a first look at the kind of lurid angles and precision driving tricks he’s now famous for. The most lo-fi video of the lot, it’s now approaching nearly 15.5 million views on YouTube.
Gymkhana 2 – ‘The Infomercial’
Unashamedly heavy product placement from DC Shoes, the footwear and clothing company Block was a co-founder of (he’s since sold his ownership to concentrate on other things, many of them involving driving sideways). It also saw the production values seriously ramped up and the transport morph to a 2009 Subaru Impreza hatch.
Gymkhana 3: The French field trip
Now with backing from Ford, Block attacks the defunct Monthléry circuit in France, including its notoriously steep banking, with a 650bhp 2011 Ford Fiesta.
Gymkhana 4: ‘The Hollywood Megamercial’
Now piloting the Fiesta through the confines of California’s Universal Studios, the camera trickery and complexity of the stunts ramp up another notch.
Gymkhana 5: The big-air, Bullitt-inspired one
This time the Fiesta’s unleashed on the streets of San Francisco. Cue (very) big air over the city’s uniquely hilly topography. Like Bullitt but with a great deal more tyre smoke.
Gymkhana 6: ‘The Grid’
Less overblown than the previous two instalments, Gymkhana 6 returns to a similar obstacle course setup as the original video, but now with the slick production values and complex camerawork the series is now known for.
Gymkhana 7: The one with the ‘Hoonicorn’
At the wheel of the ‘Hoonicorn’ custom car, combining the body of a 1965 Notchback Ford Mustang, a state-of-the-art four-wheel drive system and a bonnet-bursting 830bhp 6.7-litre V8, Block this time takes to the streets of Los Angeles to wreak his usual brand of sideways havoc. The Hoonicorn was first revealed at the 2014 SEMA show – hit the link for the full story.
Gymkhana 8: The one in Dubai
In the rallycross-inspired 650bhp Fiesta RX43, the series takes to the streets of Dubai, including a neatly shot drag race against hypercar royalty. Not even a Bugatti can compete with the Fez’s sub-2sec 0-60mph acceleration…
Gymkhana 9: ‘Raw Industrial Playground’
The series moves up a size segment to a Focus this time, albeit an FIA World Rallycross Championship-spec Focus RS RX, smoking its way around likeably dog-eared surroundings.
Terrakhana: the ultimate dirt playground
What next for the Gymkhana series?
Now with production values to rival Hollywood blockbusters, there’s no doubting the glossy quality of the videos, nor the driving skill on display, but the Gymkhana formula is arguably becoming a little well-worn. Still, if Ken keeps making ’em, we’ll keep watching ’em.