January 23rd, 2013, Park
City, Utah — Kicking off 2013 with a brand new
race team and global headquarters, Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block is off
to a big start this year. So, to better inform everyone about what he's going
to be up to this season and what events he'll be partaking in, Hoonigan Racing
Division decided it'd be best to let fans hear it directly from the man
himself, the Chief Hoon, Ken Block. Below, Block goes into detail on everything
from how he came up with his all-new team look to what he hopes to accomplish
in 2013.
The Hoonigan Racing Division 2013
Livery: “I’m stoked on how this livery and
overall team aesthetic has turned out this year. With the name change to
Hoonigan Racing Division, we wanted to take the look in a slightly different direction,
one that has been inspired by my love of 80s and early 90s skateboarding
graphics, as well as Miami Vice-era offshore powerboats and a dash of
hair metal and old school hip hop mixed in for good measure. Much like we did
in our years as MWRT, we’re continuing to try and lead and innovate in the
motorsports marketing arena with this livery.”
2013 overall: “Once again, I’m trying to fit in as much driving as
possible for 2013. Unlike most drivers who only compete in one series, I’m very
fortunate to be able to race in so many different disciplines. Between
competing in X Games, GRC, Rally America, Gymkhana GRID and WRC, It’s going to
be an awesome year. I can’t wait to get it started.”
Global X Games: “X Games has always been one of my favorite events of the
season, so I’m hyped that this year it is going global with four international
stops. Now Los Angeles isn’t my only chance at taking the gold, there will also
be Brazil, Spain and Germany. I think the worldwide fans are really going to
enjoy the opportunity to go see what X Games is all about up close and
personal.”
Global RallyCross: “Last year was my rookie season in GRC. I learned a lot and
had some amazing qualifying times. I even managed to dominate the final event
of the season until my car caught fire! So, with a season’s worth of experience
now under my belt, and a car that has now had a year of rallycross development,
I’m feeling really confident about entering the 2013 GRC season and going after
the title. I think I’ve got the experience and the car to get it done this
year.”
Rally America Championship: “I’m pleased to say that I’ll be campaigning the full Rally
America Championship this year. In 2012 I made it out to two events and won
both, as well as winning a Canadian rally. I’m confident that my team has built
a highly capable car and that the experiences that myself and my co-driver,
Alex Gelsomino, have gained doing WRC events the past few seasons really help
us when it comes to making our pace notes for the races. My goal for the year
is to win the championship, plain and simple.”
WRC: “For me it’s great to continue racing in the World Rally
Championship. Last year I competed in three events and in two of them I
finished within the top ten and scored points [the third event would have ended
with a top 10 finish also, but ended in a mechanical DNF on the final day]. I
really enjoy being able to stay somewhat competitive in WRC, despite only
competing part-time and not being able to log any testing in the car prior to
the actual events. Hopefully I’ll be running a similar amount of WRC events in
2013.”
Gymkhana GRID: “Monster Energy came in last year and got behind my Gymkhana
GRID series in a big way. They ran a five-event European series and all of the
fans and participants that came out really enjoyed the racing format. In fact,
the feedback was so strong that they’re looking to expand it even further this
year, so I’m looking forward to going back over and competing in GRID once
again. We’re also going to try and investigate the possibility of bringing GRID
back to America in 2013 as well.”
Octane Academy 2: “Ford had great success with Octane Academy last year. So
much so that the second season has been picked up by NBC Sports for 2013. We’re
changing up the format a bit and focusing a lot more on actual driving
challenges, getting the contestants more seat time and really showcasing just
what the cars can do with the proper training behind the wheel. It’s going to
be a lot of fun to make, I can’t wait to get started.”
Gymkhana: “I’m working on a very special Gymkhana project with DC for
2013. I can’t comment too much on it at this point, but we’re taking a very
different approach to it for this year. That’s all I’m going to say right now!”
