FreestyleXtreme Magazine Issue 3 | Page 53

GYMKHANA GRID O VER THE LAST FEW years more than 140 million people have watched Ken Block’s Gymkhana videos online. These highly creative, stylish and all-out mind-blowing videos appeal to both the most hard-core petrol heads and Joe-public alike. One aspect of Gymkhana that the masses may not have heard about however is the grass roots competition series that Block started off the back of his newly discovered automotive discipline – Gymkhana GRiD! “Gymkhana for me started out as a grass roots way to get more experience.” Says series founder Ken Block. “I really enjoy the competition side of things, so in 2010 we started our own Gymkhana series called ‘Gymkhana GRiD’”. The series sees a mixture of old-skool autocross, and the newskool vision of head Hoonigan Ken Block. Gymkhana GRiD essentially offers a super exciting and totally different form of car racing - blending drifting, drag racing and rally with a new type of driving skill and mental agility. GRiD was the first ever stadium style form of Gymkhana racing in North America. The series gives both pro drivers and rookie racers a place to test their ability in grip and drift on a closed course in front of thousands of excited fans. For most aspiring drifters and Gymkhana heads, the concept of getting your own custom Gymkhana course built or having San Francisco shut down so you can get your drift on is a dream that is simply never going to happen! The Gymkhana GRiD series however is a much more achievable way of turning your drift dreams into a reality. Open to anyone, you can start your application process by logging on and signing up on the Gymkhana GRiD website for your chance to take on Ken himself! u FreestyleXtreme.com | 53