DC Shoes co-founder, rally driver and YouTube star Ken Block died in a snowmobile accident on Monday, according to a statement posted by his racing team. He was 55.
The Hoonigans racing team, which Ken Block created, posted a message on Instagram on Monday night with the words “Ken was a visionary, a pioneer, and an icon.” He is going to be sorely missed.
“It’s with our deepest regrets that we can confirm that Ken Block passed away in a snowmobile accident today,” Hoonigan said in a statement.
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“Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. And most importantly, a father and husband. He will be incredibly missed.”
According to officials in Utah’s Wasatch Country, Block was riding a snowmobile on a steep slope when it overturned and crushed him, as reported by Reuters.
“We are saddened to hear of the loss of Kenneth and our hearts are with his family and friends so deeply affected,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Together with fellow designer Damon Way, Block established the footwear firm DC Shoes in 1994. The company specialised in the action sports industry, especially skateboarding. In 2004, DC Shoes was purportedly purchased by sportswear firm Quiksilver for $88 million.
Following the sale of his business, Block focused on rallying. In 2005, he received the Rally America Championship’s Rookie of the Year award.
In his “Gymkhana” video series, Block also drove fast automobiles around predetermined courses, sometimes right in the centre of bustling cities.
Gymkhana is a form of motorsport where competitors attempt to complete a circuit as quickly as they can; these courses frequently involve drifting and 180-degree spins.
Since its debut in 2012, a video in which Block is seen driving through the streets of San Francisco has received 113 million views.
In a statement shared on social media, the American Rally Association referred to Block as having “a significant influence on everything he touched, especially the global realm of rallying.”