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Ken Block takes on the Pikes Peak hill climb in ‘Climbkhana’ video

Drifting star Ken Block is back and in another drifting-based video that takes place at the legendary Pikes Peak hill climb. Starring Burnt Rubber and Going Sideways.

What happens when you combine a 14,000 foot mountain and a 1,400bhp 1965 Ford Mustang twin-turbo? You get the latest installment of the Gymkhana drift video series, that’s what.

Except this time it is called ‘Climbkhana’ because it features Ken Block climbing the 14,000ft Pikes Peak hill climb in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, North America.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb – made famous partly by Gran Turismo and the Suzuki Escudo – is as old as the hills (sorry) so it is surprising it has taken this long for Block to go up it very sideways in his all-wheel drive drifting monster ─ all 14,115 feet of elevation, to be precise.

You may not know but the Pikes Peak route is actually a public road and has a toll, but it was closed for Ken and his team to navigate its 156 turns over the 12.42-mile run. Because burning rubber inches from the edge of a sheer drop is a task best served alone for safety reasons.

Even though the rings of burnt rubber suggest a few trials runs (or, at least, the need to repeat a few stunts for video), there is no disputing the insanity of what goes on, including weaving in and out of giant yellow machinery and inch-perfect sideways action aplenty.

Pikes Peak record holder, Sebastien Loeb, will sleep easy knowing Block never gets close to his Pikes Peak record of 8:13.878, but then what the run lacks in speed it more than makes up for with tyre smoke and doughnuts. And that was always the point, wasn’t it.

Video: Ken Block’s Climbkhana Pikes Peak ft’ Hoonicorn V2

 

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