VOTD: Rally Driver Ken Block Owns The Universal Studios Backlot
I've never been to the Universal Studios backlot, despite making many visits to LA over the years. And now that I've seen this video, in which rally driver Ken Block navigates the lot at tremendous speed and with impeccable precision, I'm not sure I need to. When you've got a few minutes to watch the entire video, hit the jump.
The real action starts about a minute and a half in, should you not be so inclined to watch the logos and credits whilst listening to Poison. Once the car is off, though, damn. You'll see famous landmarks like Bruce the Shark and the Bates Motel, and witness a guy in a gorilla suit not get creamed by Block as he passes through an intersection.
As with a lot of videos of this type, I'd love to see a collection of outtakes. If this 'performance' looks so good when done right, it might also be impressive, or at least entertaining, when done wrong. And the existing skidmarks in many scenes are tacit acknowledgement that this isn't a one-take deal. But that's no real reason to complain. (I might complain about the weird, scattershot use of a few famous movie logo fonts in the opening, though.)
Here's the official rundown. And, yeah, this is technically an ad, but if some company wants to pay Ken Block to drive like that, I'm all for it.
DC and Ken Block present Gymkhana FOUR: The Hollywood Megamercial. GYM4 surpasses the high-production style of Gymkhana TWO with even more spectacular effects shot in the backlots of Universal Studios, California. Filmed over the course of five days, director Ben Conrad (Zombieland and 30 Seconds or Less) and his team at Logan deliver a Hollywood caliber production complete with pyrotechnics, massive stunts and a series of unbelievable tricks. Featuring robotic sharks, deranged zombies, and a hilarious cameo by the Epic Meal Time guys, Ken Block and his Hybrid FunctionHoon Vehicle (H.F.H.V.) bring the magic of Hollywood and gymkhana together.