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• Violence against Tires (and Other Things): Grand Theft Gymkhana 2 Drops [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 30 April 2013

  

  It’s been more than a month since we brought you YouTube user domesticmango’s Grand Theft Auto IV/Ken Block Gymkhana mashup, “Grand Theft Gymkhana.”  And considering how straight-up redonkulous that video was, we knew that crafty locally-sourced fruit was going to have a hard time concocting a sequel capable of topping it. But you know what? He’s managed to do exactly that.

  Check it: Highly-customized Nissan S13 hatchback. Random cartoon characters. Vert ramps. And explosions. Lots and lots of explosions, like enough to make even Michael Bay say, “Dude, pace yourself!” Long story short, “Grand Theft Gymkhana 2” is one of the maddest machinimas (i.e. CGI movies and short films rendered in real time, usually with video games) we’ve ever witnessed. And we can’t wait to see what domesticmango cooks up next.

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• Hot Mod Hoonigans: domesticmango Presents Grand Theft Gymkhana [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 11 March 2013

  

  As nice as console versions of video games from the Grand Theft Auto series are (easy-to-learn controls, no need to worry about system hardware requirements, etc.), they simply don’t hold a candle to their PC-format counterparts. The reason why this is so? In a word, modding. There exists a colossal, worldwide community of coders, artists and others dedicated to creating content (both original and based on trademarked real-world properties) that would otherwise never show up in one of these controversy-conjuring video games in their as-programmed-by-Rockstar state.

  Unsurprisingly, one of the most popular mod categories is vehicles, where seemingly every non-fictional car, truck, bike or whatever you can name is available. This list includes Ken Block’s gymkhana-spec Ford Fiesta, rendered in staggering detail. Our citrus-scented friend domesticmango – who put together the Forza Motorsport 4 Harlem Shake seen last week – thought it would be the cat’s pajamas to stage a gymkhana video on the streets and alleys of GTA4’s Big Apple stand-in, Liberty City. The result is loud, artful and full of unexpected spectators (See how many you can spot.). And yes, that sequel is in-the-works…

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• VIDEO: Ken Block Drops Gymkhana Five with Travis Pastrana, Big Air and Styx, Oh My!

  In Car Videos / By Tom Anderson / 9 July 2012

  

  Way back in Aught-Eight, when DC Shoes cofounder and budding rally driver Ken Block released a video of him bombing around the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station deep in the heart of Please-Don’t-Call-it-the-O.C. in his gymkhana-spec Subaru WRX STI, we doubt even he knew just how big a chord it would strike with the outside world. Millions upon millions of views and three full-fledged sequels (plus a switch from Subaru to Ford) followed, and every time the question arose: “How’s he going to top the last one?”

  Some will argue that he hasn’t always improved with each subsequent video, while others will maintain that he has. Regardless of which sentiments you hold, Kenny B has just released the fifth chapter in the Gymkhana saga and, if nothing else, it’s certainly the most ambitious one yet. How so? Well, it involved closing down parts of a major American city (one that tends to look down its nose at cars, at that), for starters.

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• VIDEO: Ken Block Goes Hollywood with Gymkhana 4

  In Motorsports / By Tom Anderson / 17 August 2011

  

  With every Gymkhana video he releases, hoon savant Ken Block subjects himself (and the people who help make those snuff-films-for-tire-lovers a reality) to the herculean task of making each sequel top its predecessor. But so far, they’ve arguably succeeded. The first was a fairly simple affair set at an abandoned military air base deep behind the Orange Curtain. It was followed by a noticeably more outrageous flick taking place on the docks of San Pedro (Fun fact: Many SoCal natives pronounce it “San Peedro,” which is no doubt the high school Spanish teacher equivalent of a dog whistle.), while it was in turn succeeded by the franchise’s first trip outside the U.S., specifically a historic autodrome outside the City of Lights.

  So how do you top that last one? Apparently, you come back to the City of Angels and make prodigious use of the resources of the region’s best known industry. Is the final result – titled Gymkhana 4: The Hollywood Megamercial – sufficiently over the top, or does it fall flatter than an anorexic manta ray? Make like the General Lee and judge for yourself.

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• VIDEO: Ken Block Invades France (Again!) with His Gymkhana Ford Fiesta

  In Car Videos / By Tom Anderson / 31 December 2010

  

  There is perhaps no more visible ambassador for the hoon community than Ken Block. What started out as an expensive hobby for the DC Shoes honcho has ballooned into a globe-trotting series of videos where sliding, spinning and doing donuts are elevated to an art form. What’s more, Block has also expanded his horizons to rallying, even making the leap to the World Rally Championship this past year.

  It was before the French round of aforementioned WRC in September that Block and his Ford Fiesta gymkhana car were back in the country (Who can forget the last time they were there?) as part of a big DC Shoes bash held in conjunction with a pro surfing contest in the town of Hossegor. The day before the party, Block was giving rides to DC- and Monster Energy-sponsored athletes (as well as a local TV reporter) around the local go kart track. Did he tiptoe around the course so as not to frighten his passengers?

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• VIDEO: DiRT 3 Shows Off Gymkhana Mode, Makes It Look Easy

  In Video Games / By James Pikover / 17 December 2010

  

  This video is just a taste of the new racing mode being introduced in the upcoming DiRT 3, sequel to the critically acclaimed Colin McRae DiRT 1 & 2. Gymkhana is a specific type of racing similar to autocross, but it differs by requiring a number of drift-oriented stunts. As the video demonstrates, when done right, it looks absolutely amazing. And it looks even better in real life.

  What may prove to be a problem for players, as I’m sure DiRT 3 developer Codemasters has already figured out, is that so much of racing revolves around feel. While other racers like Gran Turismo or Need For Speed push for more on-the-road, straightforward racing, DiRT was always about pulling off crazy stunts and looking great doing it. But events like Gymkhana may prove too difficult for gamers to really get a grip on, because especially with drifting, it’s the constant sideways acceleration that helps drivers determine proper steering. 

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• Ken Block Invitational Gymkhana GRID 2010 Irwindale Gets Sideways in Style

  In Car Events / By Chris Bialy / 6 December 2010

  

  When the name Ken Block is mentioned, the word awesome comes to mind. So when he sets up his own driving event, you know it’s going to be good. On Saturday December 4, 2010, the Gymkhana Grid series made its first appearance at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, CA.

  First let’s get a bit of background on Ken Block and Gymkhana. Ken Block is a decorated rally car racer, and co-founder of DC Shoes. Participating in various extreme sports over the years, Block truly found his niche in rally racing. So what is Gymkhana anyway?

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• VIDEO: I See Paris, I See France, I See Ken Block Making His Car Dance in Gymkhana 3

  In Car Videos / By Tom Anderson / 15 September 2010

  

  To say that DC Shoes cheiftan and rally driver Ken Block has become an Internet celebrity of late is like saying a female praying mantis has a penchant for ruining its mate’s day once they’re done getting it on; both are a bit of an understatement. With his first and second Gymkhana videos (as well as their related remixes and permutations, plus his appearance on Top Gear in which he chauffered a bemused James May around an airport), Block has brought high-concept hoonage into the (semi-)mainstream consciousness, inspiring at least one spoof and numerous video-game-based homages.

  So what does he do to make sure the third film of the main canon tops the first two? Well, at first we were quite worried Kenny B had inhaled a little too much tire smoke, for “Gymkhana Three, Part 1” was, minus some vehicular hijinks, little more than a music video for The Cool Kids. But then we remembered a “Part 2” was likely on its way, and yesterday afternoon it finally hit the ‘Net. Was it worth the wait? Take a gander after the jump; we’re betting you’ll agree with us when we say, “Hell to the yes.”

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• VIDEO: Ken Block Releases Gymkhana Two Artist Remix, A Director’s Cut & Highlights

  In Car Videos / By Ari Cox / 25 December 2009

  

  You knew Ken Block was going to close out 2009 with something special, and something special has cometh. The DC Shoes marketing squad has unleashed four new videos to dazzle, delight and disrupt your brain cycles. Both the Gymkhana 2 Director’s Cut and Block vs Pastrana: Game of Suck Highlights are entertaining rehashes of content we’ve seen before, but they are just as exciting as the first go-round. While the 2008 Season Highlights video is pretty captivating, we would have liked to have seen some more recent footage, except Ken Block didn’t compete too much in 2009.

  But the real coup d’état here is the psychedelic, tripped out ride he takes us on in the Artist Remix of Gymkhana Two. No spoilers here, but if you want to throw on the Grateful Dead and pop a tab before you hit play you won’t be disappointed. There are quite a few product placements intimately woven into the 6:40 clip, along with some second rate movie special effects and enough randomness to have you scratching your head a few times, but somehow it just works. Check out all four videos out after the jump:

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• Ken Block and Rob Dyrdek Team Up for Gymkhana 2.1 (VIDEO)

  In Auto News / By Ari Cox / 4 September 2009

  

  Ken Block is back at his old tricks. However this go round, the Gymkhana master and internet sensation teams up with long-time friend and pro skateboarder Rob Dyrdek to provide us with a little more humor. Dyrdek plays the role of “Mini Me” pushing a go-cart fitted with a custom mold to match Ken’s Subaru Impreza WRX STI, wrapped in identical graphics and sporting a carbon copy Alpinestars driving suit.

  This is a very funny video that while not nearly as captivating or mind-blowing as the Gymkhana Practice video or the Gymkhana 2 Project infomercial, is still pretty entertaining. It’s a trip to watch Dyrdek darting around in his go cart inches away from Block’s full-size Subaru WRX STI and amazing that he wasn’t decimated in process (although he does come pretty close!) In any case, this is a nice hold-over until Gymkhana 3 drops. Check out the video after the jump.

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