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“We Were Scheming About How To Kill…”: Motorsport Visionary Ken Block Once Created a Masterplan With Lewis Hamilton During Legendary F1-Rally Crossover

Published 01/03/2023, 10:28 AM EST

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Kenneth Paul Block, or more affectionately known as Ken Block, was a legend in the world of Motorsport. Unfortunately, he passed away today after a fatal snowmobile accident at his ranch in Utah. For younger motorsport fans, he was a rallying god who would also ply his trade in other adventure sports, such as skateboarding and motocross, amongst others. Block’s most famous and revered machine was the Ford Focus RS RX, which has been immortalized in the world of sim racing since. But on this sad day, it is only fitting to reminisce about the time when the legendary Block went wheel-to-wheel with Lewis Hamilton!

You could arguably put both Hamilton and Block in the same bracket when it comes to how inspirational and revolutionary they’ve been for motorsport fans globally. But the icing on the cake came way back in 2014.

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Digging through the archives, we came across an Instagram post made by Block in May 2014, “Hung out with this dude, @LewisHamilton again today at the Top Gear Festival here in Barbados. As you can see, we’re scheming about how to kill tires most effectively between his F1 car and my rallycross car.”

“Pretty dope to say that I spent some time hooning with the current Formula 1 points leader! More to come from our on track antics in some posts tomorrow morning.”

Lewis Hamilton is arguably the GOAT of F1 racing. But just imagine Ken Block whizzing past the pit wall in the bona fide Formula 1 car? Now that would be something!

The doomed Ken Block F1 test

The sight of Block pounding laps after laps in an F1 car would’ve been the ultimate dream for many motorsport fans. And it all came oh so close. However, due to this one bizarre reason, it could never really materialize into anything. Motorsport.com reported, “A car was sorted thanks to Pirelli having agreed on a deal with Toyota to use its two-year-old TF109 throughout 2011 to help its development work.”

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“Everything was firmed up, and Pirelli made the announcement of Block’s test at the Canadian Grand Prix, where he was enthused about the opportunity.” Alas, it wasn’t to be.

“While his 1.83 metres height was not a total obstacle, as many F1 drivers have been taller, his build and body shape – and especially the length of his legs – were much more of an issue. Although Block could sit inside the car to get below the roll-hoop requirements, in doing so his legs were positioned such that they blocked the movement of the steering wheel.”

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WATCH THIS STORY: Jeff Gordon’s throwback moment from the 90s

Rest in Peace, you legend!

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Written by:

Anirban Aly Mandal

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Anirban Aly Mandal is a Formula 1 Author at EssentiallySports. In his pursuit for a Bachelor's degree in Law from Symbiosis Law School, he has written multiple academic papers centered around the domain of motorsports. Not only that, but due to his love for F1, he aims to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world some day.
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Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh