American motorsport legend and YouTube star Ken Block has died in a snowmobile accident in Utah, America.
The 55-year-old will be well-known to Donegal rally fans after he competed in the 2019 Donegal International Rally.
Block was a huge attraction for fans but lasted just over two stages as he went out on special stage three, the first loop of the Grianan stage in his Escort Cosworth.
Huge crowds turned out to see Block with hundreds attending a signing at Hegarty’s Ford in Letterkenny.
A competitive rally driver in series such as Rally America and Global Rallycross, he earned wide renown later in life for his “Gymkhana” video series on YouTube.
Block was riding a snowmobile up a steep slope in Wasatch County, Utah, when the vehicle upended, landing on top of him, the local sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook.
He was pronounced dead at the scene from the injuries he sustained.
The sheriff’s office in Utah said that Block had been riding with a group but was alone when the crash occurred.
A competitive rally driver since 2005, Block was Rally America’s Rookie of the Year in his first season and went on to win rallycross medals at the X Games and podium finishes at the World Rallycross Championship.
He also competed in other actions sports, including motocross, skateboarding and snowboarding.
But Block found a second wind on YouTube, where millions watched him navigate dangerous tracks and obstacle courses in a range of vehicles.
He was featured twice on the BBC’s Top Gear programme, as well as in four EA Sports racing video games.
The BBC apologised after Block and Top Gear host Matt LeBlanc performed doughnuts that created black tyre marks near the Cenotaph during a 2016 episode. The footage was never aired.
The American Rally Association said it was “gutted” at the news of Block’s passing.
“He was a massive influence on everything he touched, including the global world of rallying,” it said in a statement on Facebook.
Fellow racers also paid tribute to Block, with former British Formula One world champion Jenson Button calling him “a talent that did so much for our sport”.
Nascar Xfinity Series driver Ryan Vargas said watching Block’s videos “shaped my personality and interest in cars”.
Block is survived by his wife, Lucy, and three children.
