If you thought you could drive a car well, think again. This has got to be one of the most impressive feats of driving skill I’ve ever seen.

This is Ken Block driving a 2011 Ford Fiesta tuned by Olsbergs MSE. It’s got 650 horsepower, 660 lbs of torque at the wheels and goes 0-60 in 1.9 seconds. That’s sure to give you some whiplash. Gymkhana is described as:

An automotive sport that takes place in a parking lot, an abandoned airport, an international shipping port or epic 86 year-old European track that requires drivers to skillfully manuever their cars around a series of cones, slaloms, turns, figure eights, and possibly a 51-degree bank using extreme aceleration, braking and drifting.

Similar to “Autocross,” Gymkhana courses are often complex, and memorizing the course is a significant part of this type of motorsport.

In an effort to take the Gymkhana concept to a new level, Ken searched the world over to find an ultimate playground. This is the result…

Shot just south of Paris, France in Linas at l’Autodrome de Linas –Montlhéry, this 1.58 mile oval track, built in 1924, features banks as steep as 51 degrees, which is more than double the standard incline of most NASCAR ovals. Chosen by Ken for this specific reason, the ramp-like banking proved to be a unique and exciting challenge. The driving physics for the stunts performed were totally unknown until Ken attempted the maneuvers during filming.

Tags: Drifting, Ford Fiesta, Gymkhana, Ken Block, Racing   Posted Sports, Video |