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Ken Block & Alex Gelsomino
x Gelsomino
Ale
k &
H is YouTube channel has more time to the Baja preparations and ended up with
almost 2 million
a fourth overall at the finish of the 1974km non stop
subscribers. Since 2010 desert race!
his videos have been watched
178 million times! His And now, all of their attention turns to the East African
Facebook page has 7 million Safari Classic Rally. They'll be at the wheel of a Tuthill
Ken Block follows. His Instagram Porsche in a very distinctive Monster Energy livery.
account has 6.7 million There are no expectations or targets from the team as
followers. Not bad for a 54 this really is a baptism of fire but rest assured that this
year old father of 3! will be the adventure of a lifetime for Ken. And with a
team like Tuthill guiding him, and with the marathon
He hates being called a celebrity or a YouTube star. experience of the Baja now under his belt, who knows
And he lives and breathes motor sport – just check out what with “Head Hoonigan in Charge” might be
the emotion and passion in his recent video when he possible?!
drives a works Audi Quattro! It is none other than the
king of donuts, Ken Block. And he's coming to Kenya! Imagine being a motor sport rival to
your wife? Now imagine being
Ken started rallying back in 2005, at the wheel of a beaten by her to a National Rally
Group N Subaru. Since then he has competed globally. Championship title?! One could
First with Subaru and then with Ford but since the forgive Alex Gelsomino for being a
beginning of 2021 Ken and co-driver Alex (more on bit jealous of his wife, Rhianon, for
him in a bit) have been free agents and trying out new winning the 2021 American Rally
things. 16 wins and 28 podiums from 60 starts in Championship. But he gets to
America are pretty good stats but Ken has had some compete on the most iconic rally of
big “offs” as well. In 2011 Ken and Alex ended up in them all – the 2022 East African
hospital after comprehensively destroying their Ford Alex Gelsomino Classic Safari Rally. In a Porsche.
Focus WRC during the shakedown stage for WRC Rally With Ken Block. That's pretty cool!
Portugal! He returned to the WRC later in the year and
took a pair of top 10 finishes to prove that he is Alex, who started rallying back in 1999, was
actually a pretty quick driver! introduced to a rally newbie in 2005 called Ken. The
pair clicked immediately and by their third rally
The last 12 months have been about trying new things. together they had taken their first class win and
Driving two different models of car in the American overall podium. A year later and they stood on the top
Rally Championship netted podiums and even outright step for the first time. They've tasted the winners
wins, but the main focus of the year was on long champagne a further 24 times since then and have
distance racing. The original plan was to contest the travelled the globe together, competing in 137 rallies
Classic Safari in November and then fly straight out to since that first outing.
meet their Baja car mid stage on the Baja 1000 and
complete the most insane race in the Americas. When The EASC is very much a bucket list event for Alex and
the Classic was postponed Ken and Alex dedicated the enormity of this event is not lost on him. Whilst he
might be the master of preparation (Alex and his wife
run a very successful co-driver training school in
America) he admits to being fortunate in having the
expertise of Tuthill Porsche to lean on is a huge asset
on this nine day marathon.
Alex and Ken share a passion for history and Alex still
has the yearning desire to compete in a Group B rally
car, but for now he'll have to make do with a Porsche.
We wish them both all the best on this epic adventure!
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