TV DAREDEVIL
Ken Block’s craziest Top Gear stunts from gravity-defying race to London drifting as rally ace tragically dies at 55
VIDEOES of rally driving icon Ken Block's most remarkable stunts on BBC's Top Gear have gone viral following the news of his tragic death aged 55.
Block was killed after his snowmobile flipped over on top of him at his ranch in the US state of Utah.
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The California-born rally driver, who raced with the Hoonigan Racing Division, was riding on a steep slope at the ranch when the vehicle landed on top of him.
Wasatch County Sheriff's Office said in a statement: "He was pronounced deceased at the scene from injuries sustained in the accident."
It added that he had been riding as part of a group, but was alone when the snowmobile flipped over.
Beginning his rally career in 2005, Block appeared on the BBC's Top Gear several times, including in a memorable airfield drifting piece alongside James May.
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May led the tributes to the 55-year-old, sharing a link to the stunt as he tweeted: "RIP Ken Block, with thanks for some hilarious days out. Here's the airfield drifting piece from years back."
The clip was filmed at California's Inyokern Airport, and saw Block zoom around the airfield with May in his Rally American Subaru Impreza.
After drifting around the runway and narrowly avoiding crashing into some parked planes, Block skillfully drifts the car through a pair of hangar doors twice and doughnuts around a small signpost.
Next, he took the rally car off-road, showing off his drifting skills alongside dirt biker pal Ricky Carmicheal.
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Chasing the motorbike through a scrapyard, Block then jumped the vehicle over a motorcross jump - much to May's apparent horror.
In Top Gear's 15th season, Block was challenged by Jeremy Clarkson to complete a lap of the track in a reliant Robin.
He rolled it at the first corner, causing the car to skid along on its side before coming to a halt.
Miraculously, Ken was unharmed in the accident.
I'm getting old - handling the fear is getting more and more difficult
Ken Block
Block also reappeared in the revamped Top Gear when he chased Matt LeBlanc and co through a former bootlegger hideaway in an off-road vehicle, pretending to be cops.
Drifting around narrow corners, he manages to "capture" all of the hosts, much to their fury.
He was also involved in controversy over a stunt filmed in 2017 in the streets of London.
Block was behind the wheel during Top Gear's notorious Cenotaph stunt, which saw the stunt driver racing through the streets of London, performing doughnuts on Whitehall and leaving burnt tyre marks close to the Cenotaph memorial.
The ill-fated film cost a reported £100,000 and sparked a row between Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc.
But Block broke his silence at the time, telling The Sun his stunt car - dubbed The Hoonicorn - was kept a "respectable distance" from the war memorial.
During the interview, he also spoke about reaching the end of his career, and how it was becoming harder and harder to perform stunts the way he used to.
"I'm getting old - handling the fear is getting more and more difficult," he said.
"In the past year, I’ve done two of the most dangerous things I’ve done, which is sliding at the edge of a cliff at Pike’s Peak for Climbkhana and sliding the car with part of the wheel off the edge of a dock for Gymkhana 9.
"It takes a lot of nerve to do this stuff, especially when you’re dealing with a big car and placing it within inches, it can be quite difficult sometimes."
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He added: "It’s part of what makes this such a big thrill for me. I started it because it really was a dream come true."
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