Ο Ken Block παρουσίασε τις νέες εγκαταστάσεις και τα χρώματα της Hoonigan Racing Division. Τα αγωνιστικά Fiesta διαθέτουν πολύχρωμα αυτοκόλλητα με το μπλε χρώμα να ξεχωρίζει, όπως και η Αμερικάνικη σημαία στην εισαγωγή αέρα στην οροφή.
Η Hoonigan Racing Division θα τρέχει στα X Games, Global RallyCross, Rally America, Gymkhana GRID αλλά και στο WRC. Παράλληλα ανακοίνωσε και τα νέα κεντρικά της γραφεία τα οποία είναι συνολικού εμβαδού 1.115 τ.μ. Αυτά χωρίζονται σε δύο τομείς, σε ένα συνεργείο και στο δημιουργικό χώρο με ξεχωριστό γραφείο marketing.
Παράλληλα ο Block δήλωσε ότι εργάζεται πάνω σε ένα νέο Gymkhana video για το 2013, για το οποίο το μόνο που ανέφερε ήταν ότι πρόκειται για ένα πολύ ξεχωριστό Gymkhana, με διαφορερική προσέγγιση από αυτό του Gymkhana 5.
[Πηγή: Hoonigan Racing Division]
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KEN BLOCK TALKS 2013 HOONIGAN RACING DIVISION SCHEDULE AND ALL-NEW LIVERY
Kicking off 2013 with a brand new race team and global headquarters, Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block is off to a big start this year. So, to better inform everyone about what he’s going to be up to this season and what events he’ll be partaking in, Hoonigan Racing Division decided it’d be best to let fans hear it directly from the man himself, the Chief Hoon, Ken Block. Below, Block goes into detail on everything from how he came up with his all-new team look to what he hopes to accomplish in 2013.
The Hoonigan Racing Division 2013 Livery: “I’m stoked on how this livery and overall team aesthetic has turned out this year. With the name change to Hoonigan Racing Division, we wanted to take the look in a slightly different direction, one that has been inspired by my love of 80s and early 90s skateboarding graphics, as well as Miami Vice-era offshore powerboats and a dash of hair metal and old school hip hop mixed in for good measure. Much like we did in our years as MWRT, we’re continuing to try and lead and innovate in the motorsports marketing arena with this livery.”
2013 overall: “Once again, I’m trying to fit in as much driving as possible for 2013. Unlike most drivers who only compete in one series, I’m very fortunate to be able to race in so many different disciplines. Between competing in X Games, GRC, Rally America, Gymkhana GRID and WRC, It’s going to be an awesome year. I can’t wait to get it started.”
Global X Games: “X Games has always been one of my favorite events of the season, so I’m hyped that this year it is going global with four international stops. Now Los Angeles isn’t my only chance at taking the gold, there will also be Brazil, Spain and Germany. I think the worldwide fans are really going to enjoy the opportunity to go see what X Games is all about up close and personal.”
Global RallyCross: “Last year was my rookie season in GRC. I learned a lot and had some amazing qualifying times. I even managed to dominate the final event of the season until my car caught fire! So, with a season’s worth of experience now under my belt, and a car that has now had a year of rallycross development, I’m feeling really confident about entering the 2013 GRC season and going after the title. I think I’ve got the experience and the car to get it done this year.”
Rally America Championship: “I’m pleased to say that I’ll be campaigning the full Rally America Championship this year. In 2012 I made it out to two events and won both, as well as winning a Canadian rally. I’m confident that my team has built a highly capable car and that the experiences that myself and my co-driver, Alex Gelsomino, have gained doing WRC events the past few seasons really help us when it comes to making our pace notes for the races. My goal for the year is to win the championship, plain and simple.”
WRC: “For me it’s great to continue racing in the World Rally Championship. Last year I competed in three events and in two of them I finished within the top ten and scored points [the third event would have ended with a top 10 finish also, but ended in a mechanical DNF on the final day]. I really enjoy being able to stay somewhat competitive in WRC, despite only competing part-time and not being able to log any testing in the car prior to the actual events. Hopefully I’ll be running a similar amount of WRC events in 2013.”
Gymkhana GRID: “Monster Energy came in last year and got behind my Gymkhana GRID series in a big way. They ran a five-event European series and all of the fans and participants that came out really enjoyed the racing format. In fact, the feedback was so strong that they’re looking to expand it even further this year, so I’m looking forward to going back over and competing in GRID once again. We’re also going to try and investigate the possibility of bringing GRID back to America in 2013 as well.”
Octane Academy 2: “Ford had great success with Octane Academy last year. So much so that the second season has been picked up by NBC Sports for 2013. We’re changing up the format a bit and focusing a lot more on actual driving challenges, getting the contestants more seat time and really showcasing just what the cars can do with the proper training behind the wheel. It’s going to be a lot of fun to make, I can’t wait to get started.”
Gymkhana: “I’m working on a very special Gymkhana project with DC for 2013. I can’t comment too much on it at this point, but we’re taking a very different approach to it for this year. That’s all I’m going to say right now!”
NEW HEADQUARTERS, NEW TEAM NAME!
With over two years invested in design, planning and building, Ken Block swings open the doors of his new team headquarters and welcomes the world inside. Based near his home in Park City, Utah, the revolutionary facility—graced with Block’s creative instincts and attention to detail—redefines what a race shop can actually be. The launch of this world-class workspace, which boasts a familiar Monster green color as well as an all-new electric blue, is accompanied by another major announcement: a new team name. The once Monster World Rally Team has now been renamed to Hoonigan Racing Division. Monster Energy, Ford Racing, DC Shoes, GoPro, Pirelli and Block’s other great sponsors will all continue their amazing support as they have in the past. Block’s new headquarters is the first of many big things coming from Hoonigan Racing Division this year.
“Having been involved with the leasing and building of office space for other companies like DC Shoes, I wanted to avoid the inflexibility of constructing a space made of lumber and sheetrock walls,” said Ken Block. “Using recycled shipping containers as the building blocks for the Hoonigan Racing Division headquarters is not only more environmentally friendly, but it gives us the flexibility to add more infrastructure and the ability to pack the entire facility onto trucks if we ever needed to relocate. It also provides a unique element to work with that is visually stunning and really adds to the creative environment of the space. I honestly could not be more stoked on the finished product.”
The 12,000 square foot facility is divided evenly into two spaces. One side consists of a creative office space, capable of housing up to 25 employees, with separate marketing and administration departments. The other side is a top-level workshop for servicing the team’s race vehicles.
“When setting out to design the Hoonigan Racing Division Headquarters, I wanted to build a fun and inspirational creative space that would not only reset the industry standard for a motorsports facility, but also have a place that rivaled the modern workspaces of top ad agencies,” said Block. “I need a place where our whole team—from the marketing staff to the technicians—can be inspired and enjoy working in everyday. So aside from the standard office needs, we made sure to build in some fun; from a ping pong table to a full entertainment area with its own bar. But, I also wanted the other side of the headquarters—the workshop—to have the feel and functionality of a World Rally Championship-level facility like M-Sport or Prodrive. I think we achieved all my goals with this facility!”
In addition to utilizing 17 recycled shipping containers to construct a reusable workspace, other recycled, reused and sustainable materials were used where possible in the construction of the headquarters.
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