Well its finally here.
Gymkhana 5 dropped onto youtube about 8 hrs or so ago now and its already up to half a million views.
What a show it is, the city of San Francisco opened up their world famous city to Block and his crew with unprecedented access to the city and the its streets.
Not only do Ken Block and his team deserve a big thank you for bringing us this great film but a big thank you should go to the people of San Franscio for letting Block film his epic Gymkhana 5 there.
The video and gallery of images are after the jump
Below is a gallery of still images from the production and below that the video
and finally the video we have all been waiting for
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuDN2bCIyus]
Full Press Release is below
DC AND KEN BLOCK PRESENT GYMKHANA FIVE:
ULTIMATE URBAN PLAYGROUND; SAN FRANCISCO
Featuring Ken Block, his H.F.H.V., and the streets of San Francisco
July 9th, 2012 – Huntington Beach, California – Today DC and Ken Block released Gymkhana FIVE, the 5th installment of the award winning, record-breaking viral video franchise, via the DC Shoes YouTube channel. Filmed on the actual streets of San Francisco, California, Gymkhana FIVE builds on the ultimate playground concept of Gymkhana THREE, with a focus on fast-paced, raw action and Block’s driving skills, all while utilizing the topography of a real-life urban playground.
Chosen for its unique physical terrain and its ability to be easily recognized on a global level, San Francisco served as the perfect location for Gymkhana FIVE. The city by the bay known for its iconic bridges, steep windy streets, and distinct neighborhoods—as well as a famous chase scene in the movie Bullit—provided an ideal gymkhana playground that increased the difficulty level of not just the tricks, but driving lines as well. And, for the first time ever, all of Block’s driving was done on real streets.
“San Francisco was absolutely amazing for Gymkhana,” said Block. “It’s such a unique location for this kind of driving and allowed me to do some things that I never thought I’d ever be able to incorporate into one of my Gymkhana videos—like jumping a table top or doing a jump drift! I’m stoked with how this project turned out and I’m truly a lucky bastard to have been able to do the things I was able to do on the streets of San Francisco. To all of the residents and people who allowed us to make this happen, thank you!”
Never short of surprises, Gymkhana FIVE presents a whole slew of new tricks and locations. The city with over 7.5 million residents appears like its own racecourse, as Block rips through with not a person in sight. Locations like the Financial District and The Bay Bridge were able to be shut down specifically for Block to put rubber to pavement. Block also tackled extreme angles and terrain through such iconic locations as Russian Hill, Potrero Hill, Twin Peaks and the San Francisco Bay itself, thanks to a barge. From donuts to drifting, Gymkhana FIVE: Ultimate Urban Playground; San Francisco undoubtedly features some of the most difficult and intense driving that has ever been recorded.
As with any video in the Gymkhana franchise, the cameos add an additional element of surprise and excitement. Motocross legend, Travis Pastrana makes an unforgettable appearance in the video with Block. This trick was the first time Travis had been on a motorcycle since his injury at X Games nearly a year before. The San Francisco trolley, the barge and the Port of S.F. each serve as significant characters of their own in GYM5 as well.
“It’s hard to imagine we’d top the last one, but Gymkhana FIVE is the best in the series by far! Fans loved the raw nature of Gym3 and were awed by the unprecedented location access in Gym4,” said DC VP of Marketing, Jeff Taylor. “Gymkhana FIVE is more than just the best of both though. Ken’s driving is on a whole new level and the streets of San Francisco provided the perfect natural terrain to showcase it. There’s never been anything like this and people are going to be blown away when they see it!”
While the locations may be new, Block’s trusty Hybrid Function Hoon Vehicle (H.F.H.V.)
Is back for this video. The car featured in Gymkhana FIVE is the same car that was used in GYM4. Whether its tearing up Universal Studios or jumping intersections in the hills of San Francisco, the H.F.H.V was designed by Block and the Monster World Rally Team to compete in three distinct disciplines: gymkhana, RallyCross and stage rally. The car features a 2.0 L turbocharged motor that generates 600hp, 665 lb-ft of torque and can go from zero to 60 mph in only 1.8 seconds. Block’s dedication to the specific design of his H.F.H.V. has paid off with success as he used it to win the 100 Acre Wood Rally in Missouri earlier this year, as well as recently driving it to a silver medal at Summer X Games just a week ago. Also returning for this video are director Ben Conrad and his amazing production team at LOGAN. Conrad and his team utilized their Hollywood experience to transform San Francisco into the ultimate playground movie set.
Also featured in this video is Block’s DC Teamworks Collection. GYM5 debuts the DC Ken Block Pro Spec 3.0 Shoe, the DC Ken Block Gatsby 2 shoe and the Block Spartan Teamworks High Shoe. GYM5 also features Block’s signature collection for DC including the KB Cracked Tee, KB Cracked Up Zip Hoodie, and the KB Cracked Hat. Originally created in 2005, the Teamworks Collection and design inspiration stems from Block’s racecar liveries. For more information and to check out the entire Ken Block Teamworks Collection, please visit: http://store.dcshoes.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=4374337
For additional information on Gymkhana FIVE: Ultimate Urban Playground, photos, exclusive interviews and more, please visit www.dcshoes.com/gym5.
About DC: Founded by Ken Block and Damon Way in 1994, DC quickly grew to a leader in performance skateboarding shoes and renowned action sports brand. Today DC stands as a global brand whose product line has expanded to include men’s, women’s and kids’ skateboarding and lifestyle shoes, apparel, snowboards, snowboard boots, outerwear, and accessories. As one of the cornerstones of its marketing strategy, DC has built a world-class team of professional skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX, motocross and rally athletes that exemplify and enhance DC’s brand, develop its signature products, and support its promotional efforts. DC is a subsidiary of Quiksilver, Inc.
About Ken Block’s GYMKHANA franchise: The Gymkhana series of videos started in November of 2008 when Block released a video entitled DC Shoes: Ken Block Gymkhana Practice. Block had built himself a gymkhana-specific car for a Southern California gymkhana series being put on by local organizers in attempt to get more seat time doing rally-style driving after becoming a professional rally driver in 2005. Unfortunately, the series was cancelled before Block’s car was finished. With a gymkhana-specific car built and nowhere to run it, Block decided to go out and have some fun, filming the results. The final product, Gymkhana Practice became a runaway viral success and has since spawned four more videos, the latest being Gymkhana FIVE. With over 140 million views and counting for all of the videos, the series continues to be the leading viral
About Ken Block: Ken Blockʼs rally career began in 2005. His skill and car control became quickly apparent and Block aptly nabbed Rookie of the Year in the Rally America Championship. Since then, Block has continued to race in the series, boasting a healthy ten overall wins, in addition to numerous podium appearances as well as X Games medals. In addition to his performance in the car, Block has been a driving force in shedding light on the sport within the United States. His keen branding and marketing acumen has allowed Block to achieve global fame as a rally driver through his wildly successful viral videos, which include his record-setting jump for the TV series Stunt Junkies, his scenes in the DC snowboard video Mtn.Lab 1.5 and spy footage of his Subaru TRAX STI project in action, along with his Gymkhana videos. Ad Age named his “Gymkhana TWO” the No. 4 Viral Video of 2009 and his “Gymkhana THREE; Part 2 Ultimate Playground; l’Autodrome” the No. 6 Viral Video of 2010. At the start of 2012, Gymkhana FOUR: The Hollywood Megamercial was named the top-shared viral add of 2011 by Marketing Magazine Australia. In January 2010, he formed the Monster World Rally Team and signed with Ford to become the first American to campaign in the World Rally Championship, becoming only the second American to ever score points in the WRC during his inaugural 2010 season. Additionally, his signing with Ford included campaigning domestically in racing (Global RallyCross, X Games and Rally America), as well as continuing to do gymkhana. Block co-founded DC Shoes, a worldwide leader in performance skateboarding shoes and a renowned action sports brand.