Ken urrghh

In reply to NickF40:

You hear a lot about Pastrana. There was epic poop storm when he did the testing session at Mt Washington, and got a better time than Sprongle's record. Was it a record or not was debated for a month. Then when he decided to do a Nascar deal, that seemed to be all anybody was talking about.

NickF40 wrote: motorsports used to be competition..... how come you don't hear as much for Pastrana?

From a viewers standpoing, all competition = entertainment. And since viewers pay for the competition.... And for most competitors, it's and means of advertising.

Who doesn't hear about Pastrana??? Every X-games, he's mentioned.

We argue about entertainers???

mtn wrote: Hey, look at it this way--these kids actually KNOW what the WRC is now. Did they know what it was before Ken Block? I doubt it.

TRUE, very true. You do have a point there.

Sorry fellas if I came on a little strong it's just my friends are turning into these brotato flatbillers that don't even know what rally is and why the STI they drive was built for and it seems a lot of these kids that watch him, so yeah, it's not him himself, I guess it's just the fans that I dislike. I don't dislike you guys though because you guys know about rally and who the drivers I talked about, i'm talking about the oblivious ones.

Zomby woof wrote:

NickF40 wrote: motorsports used to be competition..... how come you don't hear as much for Pastrana?

Or any of the other drivers... His videos really come across (to me) as "hey, I'm Ken Block, look how awesome I am". A little much for my tastes.

A little same to me to

He's no Danny Macaskill.

Ken needs to get into FIA GT now....we need US exposure

NickF40 wrote:

Zomby woof wrote:

NickF40 wrote: motorsports used to be competition..... how come you don't hear as much for Pastrana?

Or any of the other drivers... His videos really come across (to me) as "hey, I'm Ken Block, look how awesome I am". A little much for my tastes.

A little same to me to

I think his videos come across as brilliant marketing. He basically makes a commercial. Has an absolute blast filming it, then posts it on the internet and every automotive forum on the internet seems to have 4 or 5 threads linking to it. Millions of people watch his 'ad'. If you own the company that sells the shoes or flatbill hats, or the car, or any of the sponsors with stickers on the car, it just cannot be beat.

I guess I need to go and google brotato now.

Maroon92 wrote: You are just jealous. You know that if you had helped start a company from nothing and sell it for millions of dollars, you would be spending as much of your money on racing as you could too. He is a rich berkeleyer doing what he has the money to do. Haters gonna hate! Besides, he is one of the nicest guys I have ever met. The Platinum tooth is a little ghey, but much cooler than Gold.

Actually, I think if we knew the details Ken spends very little of HIS money and LOTS of other people's money. He has enough sponsors that he isn't likely spending his own.

I would love one of those "Hoonigan on Board" stickers - and I am 43 - not really the Flatbiller age group.

yep, Im over 30 now, and all my bills are bent. I still like his work, even if it is staged, and all his courses have 7 sets of tracks proving hes worked the course over like a cheap masseuse at a stress convention. I still love the idea that a new generation will grow up appreciating what a car can do in the hands of a skilled driver. Yes there will be growing pains - having to deal with the jackwagons in High School who froth at the mouth and glaze over when they watch the videos. But the fact remains that he is promoting an underviewed segment of motorsport, and bringing attention to ...gasp....compact, non suv, non Dorift0 y0!1, non-nascar cars and what they are capable of. Putting a RWD focus in the primetime with the next generation of carbuyer may help snap carmakers out of it and they might even start putting fun, sub 3.5k#, sub $30k, post 150 hp cars back on the market...with real gearboxes no less?!?!

It boils down to good exposure for motorsport, even if it draws adolescent toolboxes to the youtoobs like flies to turds. If it gets the message across to TV stations that we want to see cars turn left, and to carmakers that we want to have fun, maybe we will get something out of it in the long run. I say bravo.

Ok, I do agree with you and yeah hopefully the car makes will take the hint...and put real gearboxes back in cars..........standard!

I still root for him. Finally an american in WRC. Hopefully he drives a little better this year. But yeah, I will never purchase any of his DC gear.

4cylndrfury wrote: ... fun, sub 3.5k#, sub $30k, post 150 hp cars back on the market...with real gearboxes no less?!?! ...

kia forte, friend

smog7 wrote: I still root for him. Finally an american in WRC. Hopefully he drives a little better this year. But yeah, I will never purchase any of his DC gear.

DC shoes are great for BMX and skateboarding

I have had several pairs of DCs before the fratboy honduh dOrift0 kids got their hands on em and began popping collars. They are good shoes. I will buy more when my current pair wears out

The title of the post lets me know you're new here.

So I didn't read the thread.

4cylndrfury wrote:

smog7 wrote: I still root for him. Finally an american in WRC. Hopefully he drives a little better this year. But yeah, I will never purchase any of his DC gear.

DC shoes are great for BMX and skateboarding I have had several pairs of DCs before the fratboy honduh dOrift0 kids got their hands on em and began popping collars. They are good shoes. I will buy more when my current pair wears out

That actually was funny but same here, i've wore 3 pairs of Globe's, 2 Osiris's, and Etnies in my skateboarding years but then got into BMX, last 3-4 years and I love my DC's, last 3 pairs of shoes bought were DC's, they hold up. I always loved Globe's because of Rodney Mullen and the fact they are crazy durable. But yeah, just like you said they turned the shoes into a fashion....

z31maniac wrote: The title of the post lets me know you're new here. So I didn't read the thread.

noooot really

I'll say one thing for him... he sure knows how to break cars........

and he is learning 1st hand how to make a small fortune in motorsports......

I love my DC's. They've seen me through every form of hell known to man and kept going. Comfort wise, its them and Globe.

oldeskewltoy wrote: and he is learning 1st hand how to make a small fortune in motorsports......

....If they sponsor him, it's their problem.

(He's still better than I'll ever be)

NickF40 wrote: But yeah, just like you said they turned the shoes into a fashion....

What about Chuck Taylor?

NGTD wrote: I would love one of those "Hoonigan on Board" stickers - and I am 43 - not really the Flatbiller age group.

What a coincidence: Ken Block is 43 too! Your flatbrim is in the mail...

The flat-brimmed hat pisses me off. Hat are supposed to be worn straight on your head, not cocked off to one side, and the brims are supposed to have some curve in them. Otherwise you look like an idiot. Just saying.

I don't have a problem with Ken Block other than that. But he does look like an idiot wearing hats like that.

oldeskewltoy wrote: I'll say one thing for him... he sure knows how to break cars........ and he is learning 1st hand how to make a small fortune in motorsports......

Is that by starting with a large fortune?

Aaaaand this is exactly the problem with car guys, in my opinion.

Somebody does something we only dream of doing and the vast majority of people find one thing to pick at and call the whole thing BS. In this case, a guy started a company, did very well and spent some of that money doing exactly what anyone on this forum might - he got into motorsports, played around and made some highly entertaining videos.

And what's the response? I've seen several nonsensical, poorly thought-out reactions, most of them in this very thread:

Well, people that dress different than I do like it, so it's crap. (this one mystifies me)

I could do that with a fast car and some practice. (no you couldn't).

He's appealing to stupid kids. (so what? they buy things. and they're getting genuinely interested in motorsport...how is that a bad thing)

He's just a rich guy getting famous. He's nowhere near the driver of [insert Finnish rally driver]. (ah, yes, the "I'm keeping it real by referencing a true example defense. clearly you're too cool for Ken Block and won't watch the next video he produces...right?)

To be frank, this is coming off like a rant because it is. Car people are great - I consider myself a member of that family. But the jealous reactions when somebody does something a bit different or appeals to a different audience really disgusts me sometimes. I'm using that word intentionally - it disgusts me. It's so short-sighted and ignorant that I can't help but deduct 40 IQ points from anyone making an argument - so Ken Block is adored by kids that wear their hats differently - is that any reason to post a thread knocking what he's doing?

Sometimes...actually more often than not...the collective behavior of "real" car guys perfectly mirrors that of monkeys in the now famous behavioral experiments. We see someone climbing the pole and rush to drag him down. It's disappointing.

My hat bills are usually flat, or bent upwards at the end so it's easier to fit under a car. curved bills fit funny backwards, which is the only way they're comfortable to me.