People’s Champ: The Impact of Ken Block honors the late action sports icon’s multiple talents on full display at the Petersen Automotive
Museum in Los Angeles.
WORDS: DAVEY COOMBS
PHOTOS: LARRY CHEN, KAHN MEDIA,
JAXON DANSIE & RON ZARAS, 43 INSTITUTE
Everything that Ken Block did, he did well. Exceptionally well. Whether it was business, marketing, competing, creating, raising a family—conducted all with the same high level of passion and care. In the early nineties he emerged from Palomar Community College with his friend Damon Way and together they built what would become DC Shoes, a massive action sports success story. He then turned his attention to rally car racing, bringing his creativity and marketing talents to what was a very niche form of motorsports in America. He created Hoonigan, an automotive lifestyle brand and production company, and became a YouTube legend with his Gymkhana, Climbkhana, and Terrakhana line of driving videos, which have been viewed over a billion times. He was truly an agent of change, which was the title of the definitive book on the rags-to-riches story of DC Shoes.
We are deeply rooted in Moto—We’ve been here all our lives. Back in 1998 when we turned an underground newspaper into a shiny color magazine, it immediately changed the game with its unprecedented depth of coverage, sense of humor, and access to the sport’s biggest names. Today, our readers know they can go to Racer X Online for all the news, race results, and event coverage they need, and then enjoy even more detail and perspective in the pages of Racer X Illustrated. The mag offers a chance to learn something new on every page and stay connected with the people and personalities that shape our sport—the competitors out on the racetrack, as well as the ones behind the scenes—through our exclusive deep-dive stories and columns.
Our trademark has always been insider knowledge from the experts who are at the races and around the sport. We have long prided ourselves on our unparalleled race reporting and detailed storytelling. We go deep with the riders and teams to provide comprehensive coverage you won’t find anywhere else—all with first-class photography and design. It’s a full education in motocross past, present, and future.
Davey Coombs
Editor-in-chief & Founder
Racer X Illustrated
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