2023 started tragically with the death of Ken Block (opens in new tab)the legendary American rally driver whose gymkhana stunt videos (opens in new tab) have accumulated hundreds of millions of views in their time. In those videos, Block performed classy and stylishly edited routines that required precise timing and borderline supernatural talent. So naturally, a bunch of Block fans in the Grand Theft Auto Online community took it upon themselves to make an in-game gymkhana video (via PCGamesN (opens in new tab)) of their own as a tribute to the man himself.
a_tribute_to_ken_block_made_by_my_car_meet_group from r/gtaonline
Made by the TuttoAuto (opens in new tab) group, it’s peppered with all sorts of references to Block’s original gymkhana videos. A stunt from Gymkhana 7 (opens in new tab)– in which Block drifts under a car as it hydraulically bounces its front wheels in the air – mimicked to perfection, and more Redditors knowledgeable about Block than I’ve clocked yet other small details (opens in new tab) who tip their hats to the real-life stunt shows.
It is a testament to the dedication and skill of the creators of the tribute that it was made completely without the help of mods. In response to a comment on Reddit, a TuttoAuto admin clarified that the video was made (opens in new tab)using only “the ingame cars and some skill”. Quite a skill, I’d say. If I were to attempt something similar, the whole video would seem like some sort of extended Mr. Bean sketch.
Fans of Block and fans of cool things happening in GTA Online are united in their positive response to the video, which has garnered a sparkling string of Reddit awards that I’m not even going to try to name, as well as a few thousand upvotes since its release. two days ago. “I think if he was here he would be proud of all of you,” he said a Red editor (opens in new tab)while another complimented (opens in new tab) the “Quality production, camera work, driving and some of Ken’s iconic moves.”
Block was no stranger to video games himself, or at least no stranger to their appearance. An accomplished rally racer, he appeared as a driver in the DiRT series – and even recorded a video (opens in new tab) to promote the third game’s then-new Gymkhana mode, as well as the WRC: FIA World Rally Championship game and Need For Speed. He died on January 2 of this year in a snowmobile accident, at the age of 55.