It looks like the Hoon Master General is returning to the twists and turns of slideways driving for speed, rather than for show. Yep - Ken Block, purveyor of all things tire smoke and energy drinks, will once again try his hand in American Stage Rally, and he’s bringing his race-prepped and freshly painted ’93 Ford Escort Cosworth with him to do the job.

Continue reading for the full story.

The Full Story

Let’s just jump straight into it - Ken Block’s refreshed ’93 Ford Escort Cosworth is lookin’ mighty mean. Making its official reveal in a recent episode of Daily Transmission, The Hoonigan’s regular antics-filled YouTube series, the Blue Oval icon is draped in a new black and white livery courtesy of the talent from Death Spray Custom. The exterior is punctuated by lightning bolt designs, with gradients and large features dominating underneath the requisite sponsor stickers.

As is tradition in rally, the high-strung Ford is actually totally street legal and comes complete with a full exhaust and even a license plate out back.

Making the go is a four-banger making 350 turbocharged horsepower, plus a seven-speed sequential racing transmission for slamming through the ratios and an electronic center differential for digitized grip-making.

The interior is totally stripped out, with a no-nonsense cabin space decked out by a set of bucket race seats, a welded-in roll cage, and a big ‘ole handbrake along the center tunnel.

Any rally fan is sure to love it, especially someone like Block, who lives and breaths the stuff every single day.

“I am a big fan of rally - I’ve been a stage rally enthusiast since I was a kid,” Block explains. “So that’s why I have the ’78 Mk. II Escort, that’s why I have an ’86 RS200. Those cars mean a lot to me and the world of rally, for me as a fan, as an enthusiast. And so as I’ve gone through my career and enjoyed racing all these different cars, that kinda grabbing from that history and pulling that stuff in and racing it in modern ways is just a really cool thing for me.”

And while Block’s Escort definitely brings the heat, it’s still 25 years old compared to the top-runners it’ll face in the series this year. However, that isn’t worrying Block, as his participation in American Stage Rally for 2018 isn’t about securing top honors.

“I know that racing here in the states in the championship; there’s factory-level cars I’m competing against, modern equipment. So, I’m not taking there to try and win; it’s about the experience. I may end up eighth place, I may end up third place, I don’t really know, but for me, it’s about living that experience.”

In total, Ken Block will race three stage rallies with the American Rally Association in 2018. He’ll first head north for the ARA Oregon Trail Rally taking place this weekend, followed by the ARA New England Forest Rally in July and the ARA Idaho Rally International in September.

Additional events for Block this year include racing a rally cross-prepped Ford Focus RS RX in the ARX Circuit of the Americas event in July, the ARX Trois-Rivieres event in August, and the FIA World RX of USA event in September. He’ll also take the wheel of a Ford Fiesta WRC in Rally Catalunya in October. Finally, Block will wrap it up with a few Gymkhana grid events.

While many critics deride Block as a stunt driver more than a racing driver, it looks like 2018 is the perfect opportunity to squelch the naysayers. Just so long as he doesn’t stuff it.

References

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