KEN BLOCK WINS REDBULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS ROUND 4 AND TAKES THE CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD

 

 

July 6, 2015, Jacksonville, NC: Ken Block arrived to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station outside of Jacksonville, North Carolina, intent on regaining the Global Rallycross Championship points lead—which he did, by winning the fourth round of the 2015 calendar.

 At .993 miles, the course setup at Marine Corps Air Station, New River, was the longest on the calendar for the 2015 season. A mixture of runways and dirt, the course didn’t exactly suit Block’s driving style, but he found the speed he needed to bring home the win.

Block started the racing on Sunday with a difficult First Heat where he had a bad launch off the starting line, forcing him to have to fight his way into a decent position. Fortunately, he was able to do so with some good passes and finished the First Heat in third. However, his Second Heat didn’t go as smoothly, with Block sustaining a big hit from fellow racer Tanner Foust, which broke part of Block’s rear suspension. He was able to carry on and finish the Heat, but with a dismal result.

The result of the Heats put Block on the second row of the starting grid for his Semi-Final. Block managed to storm through the Semi though, including putting down a tough pass on fellow Ford racer Steve Arpin in the last lap, pushing Block into first place across the finish line of the Semi and onto the front of the starting grid for the final.

In the final, Block had a terrible launch off the line and immediately fell from the front of the pack to the very back. But, he got going quickly and started working on making up lost positioning. Five laps in, Block had managed to work up through the rest of the field to find himself sitting in third overall. However, the race was red flagged due to a crash, forcing a restart.

The restart proved beneficial for Block. Starting again sitting P2 on the starting grid, Block nailed his launch, heading into the first corner in the lead, which he maintained throughout the duration of the 4-lap restart final all the way to the checkered flag.

 “This was a wild race for me today,” said Block. “I had a strange mix of highs and lows but I’m stoked with the end result. During the first part of the final, I was actually just really excited to have worked my way into third overall, since I’d had a terrible launch and I’m focused on the championship points. However, that restart proved beneficial for me. I managed to absolutely nail my launch, get in front of everyone and stay there. I’m walking away from this race with the points lead in the championship, which is awesome. I’m really stoked to be able to bring home my second win of the season and be first overall in points.”

 

 

Block’s next competitive event will take him back to stage rally, this time at Rally America’s New England Forest Rally, taking place July 17th and 18th in Newry, Maine.