Love him or hate him, Ken Block is a marketing genius who, like King Midas, turns everything he touches into gold. Take the sport of Gymkhana for example: shredding tires in a parking lot used to be good for a ticket or two, but now it’s a multi-media extravaganza, complete with crowds, explosions, jumping motocross riders and scantily-clad umbrella girls. When it comes to event promotion, even Bernie Ecclestone could learn a thing or two from Ken Block.
Despite a less-than-stellar performance in World Rally competition, Block had a good year in 2011. The video below gives highlights of his three Gymkhana tour stops (in Vienna, Austria, Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia), and promises even more events for 2012. If you’ve got a “Hooning Is Not A Crime” bumper sticker on your car, that’s probably a good thing. If you’d like to see an American driver make a serious attempt at competing at the highest levels of WRC, it probably isn’t.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
