cster

autosport.com - WRC News: Block lined up for WRC campaign
Is there no end to this man's talents?

urban

iTrader: (1)

We'll that'll let us really see how well he can drive instead of fannying about in airfields and car parks

Klaatu

Ken "I like to drive in an abandoned airfield, setup specifically and practiced for my "stunts", Block". Yeah, as I said before, I did do as much if not better in my Mini where I didn't have to practice.

skoobidude

He's clearly a talented guy though!

Klaatu

Practiced in a controlled environment, very different. AKA stunt driver.

Snazy

I would be inclined to agree with Klaatu.
Good driver.... but can he do the rally.

Klaatu

No. That is why he does his cunning stunts, in a totally controlled environment. Rallying at full chat, *IS*, more challengine than F1. F1 drivers are poofs, yes, they go faster, much faster, over the SAME track. Try "reading" your co-driver's spoken pace notes, you have to think much more further ahead (On the track/pace notes) than a "simple" track at any speed. That is why "NASCAR" is, errrrm, gay.

GlesgaKiss

If you're interested take a look at this classic clip! This was before rallying got easy. YouTube - Ari Vatanen onboard Isle of Man

Obviously there is no saying that the likes of loeb couldn't have been quicker than Vatanen back in the day, but we'll never know now! There's no doubt the cars(wrc) are a piece of cake to drive, with perfect weight distribution and balance through the corners, although that's the only thing that's got easier about rallying.

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

Utter tosh as usual. So F1 drivers go much much faster than rally drivers with a far smaller envelope of grip available....and they are poofs? Hmm, see Massa.

JackClark

Ken's not new to the WRC he competed in the P-WRC and wasn't too shabby, nice bloke too.

stiscooby

NASCAR, gay? hhmmmm......... i'd like to see how well you do travelling over 200mph inches from someones bumper lap after lap (without crashing!).

Most motor sport, well any professional sport really, is one of those things where its very easy to sit there, look in from outside and criticise who's more talented/better etc etc but until you actually experience it for yourself i.e. in the car, you don't really have any idea how good the driver(s) actually is, regardless of formula.

Fair play to Ken if he has a go, wish the man luck.

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

I'd love to see him in the WRC. I just hope that a) he is in a competitive scooby, and b) he does not crash as often as Chris Atkinson did. Then we may see Scoobies back in the top 10

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

Or Solberg for that matter!

urban

iTrader: (1)

I think its probably more fair to say each sport is just as dangerous as the other.

I'm a fan of both and I'd be more inclined to say that rallying is the more dangerous of the two
For instance you have generally quite large run off areas in F1, something you don't really get in rallying.

Anway, regardless of this.

I reckon he'll be crap in WRC

StickyMicky

Loeb has been trying to dip his toes into something a bit faster but was struggling a little bit, iirc in his GP2 test he was about 2 seconds off the pace.

The man is awesome in WRC

Ken Block, not so sure tbh.

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

But then you could argue that rally cars have a full cage surrounding the driver and the fact they only run one at a time.

I also like both sports, but I don't see one being any different to the other with regards to danger and the amount of skill required. I would say that you need to be fitter to drive a 2hr F1 race though, simply due to the G-forces that the driver's have to deal with.

magepaster

iTrader: (2)

I am a fan of both WRC & F1 and respect the skill and bravery of the drivers involved. To say F1 drivers are poofs seems very childish and shows a complete lack of understanding of the sport. As for NASCAR I am not a fan at all but do know that it takes supreme driving talent to drive at over 200 miles an hour inches from drivers in front and behind and inches from a side wall that the camber of the track is trying to throw you into.

urban

iTrader: (1)

monocoque/roll cage - same thing

Fitter yes, I sort of agree

There are always going to be arguments re: danger.

Rallying is the more true form of motorsport though
Relying on pacenotes etc, road conditions, weather conditions etc

magepaster

iTrader: (2)

Could never get bored watching Ari drive. An absolute master of his craft

Daz34

Doesn't the co-driver do his research? He keeps saying 'maybe' at the end of each pace note

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

I don't know what you mean. That's obviously the car doing most of it for him

jho!

I take it all you people that say Ken Block is just a stuntman that drives in an controlled enviorment are aware he also drives in the USA rally championship for Subaru team USA, and is very successful. (His team mate is Travis Pastrana)
I know that WRC is arguably a higher league, but I doubt he will not be competitve.

By the way according to the Team Subaru Rally USA web site Travis is going too compete in WRC with Subaru USA.

Borat_Drives_A_Scooby

Ken Block is miles better than Loeb, easy.

All Loeb can do is drive round tailor made courses, Ken can do all sorts.

GlesgaKiss

Better in what way? More money from selling shoes than Loeb??

urban

iTrader: (1)

Ignore it, thats a windup

grovesy

Only seen him race once and he beat Colin Mcrae.

He cant be that bad

CrisPDuk

That's from the days of proper rallying, when they went in blind, and the co-driver read from an OS map

You should try it, nothing focuses the mind quite like trying to read a map while drystone walls are flashing through your periperal vision at 70+mph

urban

iTrader: (1)

What did he beat him at?

jho!

I think you'll find that was the X games 2006, and it was Travis that beat him, after Colin rolled the car.