Ken Block, Ken Block, Ken Block… I’m over him. Sure, the videos are good… and at least the first two were exciting. But now, Gymkhana 7, it’s just same-old, same-old.
THE THING IS, Kenny B has lots of takes to get the shot. You can tell by the tyremarks. And he’s got a specially set up, overpowered drift car, and probably a backup car or three. So sorry, but I’m not mega impressed by his skill. Or imagination. He takes wide lines, there’s lots of margin for error, the camera angles flatter… I look at his videos and they don’t impress any more than the stunts in Fast and Furious [ouch – ed]. But it’s not as if YouTube is short of good driving videos, so after you’ve finished watching Ken’s little games check out these six real driving skill videos that are better than Gymkhana 7: Kimi just can’t cruise Kimi Raikkonen, 2007 F1 world champion, taking a Ferrari F12 around Ferrari’s local test track. Utterly in control, and yet so relaxed and smooth, a world-class driver in action. It’s not as spectacular as Kenny B, but it’s more silky-skillful. Ultimate car, ultimate track You must all bow down before Stefan Rozer. The older Porsche 911s were known as widowmakers, such were their power and ferocity. Then along came a company called RUF, which made them lighter, and even more powerful. The result was the RUF Yellowbird, and here you see it being driven at fearsome speed on the world’s most difficult and dangerous racetrack. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how you drive, and perhaps the finest driving video ever. Legendary F1 qualifying It is not unusual for the top 10 drivers qualifying for an F1 to be separated by a second or so. If the pole sitter manages a half-second gap to the rest of the cars we are impressed. If it is a gap of a second then we talk about it in awed, hushed tones. And even more so if the man beaten into second place is a well-regarded driver. So in 1988 when Ayrton Senna qualified 1.4 seconds faster than his team-mate, the one and only Alain Prost, then that was a simply stupendous achievement which is why I’m posting about it over twenty-five years later. Ain’t nobody gonna be posting about Ken B in the year 2039. Dear God Not a complete circuit this time, but rally fans will know what “dear god” means. If you don’t, then watch it. Rally drivers don’t get multiple takes. The biggest moment A ‘moment’ in motorsports is when you make a mistake and, just for a brief second, you’re not sure whether or not you’re going to live or die. It’s when your instincts, practice and training kick in to save you from disaster, and you’re scared after the fact. Everybody has a moment sooner or later, whether you’re a club sprinter or F1 champ, but this is the moment to end all moments. I have no idea how this man held that car, but I respect the fact he did. Climb dance Rally drivers the world over merely need to raise their hands to cover their eyes and everybody know what the gesture means. That’s my top six. What’s yours?
