"McMike" (mcmike)
11/18/2019 at 20:28 • Filed to: Gymkhana, ken block
22
49|
"McMike" (mcmike)
11/18/2019 at 20:28 • Filed to: Gymkhana, ken block | 22
| 49 |
Since Gymkhana Eight Nine Ten another Climbkhana came out today , I thought I would get caught up with a little Gymknana history - and rate them.
I dig what Ken Block does.
No, not the part about missing out on WRC points, or selling things like flat brim hats, energy drinks, puffy sneakers, and Hoonigan apparel.
What I love is HOW he’s selling things like flat brim hats, energy drinks, puffy sneakers, and Hoonigan apparel.
It’s these marketing videos I love, but it’s not for the reason you think.
We need young enthusiasts.
Sitting here in my mid-40s, I recognize that I never connected with Ken Block or The Fast & Furious, the same way my parents never connected with The Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider, or CHiPs - but those cheesy TV characters of my youth are probably the reason I ride motorcycles, drift shopping carts around grocery stores, and power slide
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whenever I can.
Whenever I see kids at car shows wearing Block43 shirts, I know that there is a good chance they are could on their way to becoming enthusiasts.* And I’m pretty sure they’re wearing them because of these gymkhanas/infomercials.
*If they stay away from Gizmodo’s “ban car” articles.
So here are the
eight
nine Gymkhana videos, in order, rated on a scale of 1-5 Blocks.
Note - I originally posted this back in March when Eight came out, I just edited it to include Nine.
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GYMKHANA PRACTICE - 2008
I didn’t know who this “Block” guy was, but this was pretty cool. A fun YouTube video of a rally driver in a Subaru.
3/5 Blocks.
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Very similar to ONE, but there were a few gimmicks and Michael Bay content that turned me off a little, so it lost a point. 2/5 Blocks.
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GYMKHANA THREE - 2010
Out-fucking-standing. Amazing venue, amazing course. More driving than explosions. 5/5 Blocks.
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Great driving, but that brick wall wasn’t real. 3/5 Blocks
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Great place to do it. I’m glad they pulled it off. Lots of variety. 4/5 Blocks
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My least favorite. I’m impressed how they moved the course to a fresh piece of tarmac for filming, so it looked like there wasn’t two full days of practice, but it was boring. You can only hold my attention so long within a parking lot. 1/5 Blocks
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I thought this one was great. Not sure if it was the car this time, or the choice of Jane’s Addiction at the end. 5/5 Blocks
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GYMKHANA EIGHT- 2016
I liked the donuts around the Raptor, 747, and the roundabouts on The Palm Jumeirah. This was San Fransisco without all the sweet jumps. 3/5 Blocks
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GYMKHANA NINE - 2016
Simple, back to basics. I was going to give it a three, but the dock edge pucker moment and the railroad crossing jump pushed it to a soft four. 4/5 Blocks
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg6L_7qLIEQ
I love pikes peak and tire smoke
5/5 Blocks
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_KBvP0_8Tc
Honestly, it only really scored a four for me. It was the variety, the length, and the time put into it that raised the score. I smiled the whole time. 5/5 Blocks
Edit, WTF Kinja? Now I can’t even embed YouTube?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX2uXBMkO8U
Scenery is amazing, truck is cool. The scenery is amazing.
3/5 Blocks.
Would have been a two if it wasn’t
for the scenery.
Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras
> McMike
02/29/2016 at 12:04 |
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that Dubai police force though.............
Dusty Ventures
> McMike
02/29/2016 at 12:20 |
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Minor point of contention because I’m a stat junkie and pedantic asshole. He’s actually become a consistent point scorer in those occasions where he decides to do a WRC round. He doesn’t score
many
points, but it’s become a rarity for him to leave with nothing.
vondon302
> McMike
02/29/2016 at 12:21 |
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7 better than 5 ? I disagree. The hoonicorn is the best car though. I’m kinda surprised how much I’m looking forward to this tonight.
wiffleballtony
> McMike
02/29/2016 at 12:27 |
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Six was pretty crap.
450X_FTW
> McMike
02/29/2016 at 12:29 |
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They’re cool, but I feel like they are just so over the top. I still prefer his appearance on Top Gear with James May from years ago using his WRX that “only” had 380 hp compared to any of the gymkhana videos
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McMike
> vondon302
02/29/2016 at 12:30 |
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I stand by my scores.
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McMike
> Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras
02/29/2016 at 12:32 |
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Can’t wait to see him do donuts around all of them as they creep along at 3mph.
chaozbandit
> McMike
02/29/2016 at 13:22 |
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Gymkhana 1 will always hold a special place in my heart.
You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
> McMike
02/29/2016 at 13:58 |
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Loping Camshaft
> McMike
03/01/2016 at 04:16 |
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One and Two earn extra points for that Subaru boxer thrumble.
The STI from One is the coolest Gym car, save the Hoonicorn.
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McMike
> Loping Camshaft
03/01/2016 at 07:51 |
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After watching EIGHT, I think I’m getting tired of the Fiesta.
I realize it’s a rallycross car, and is probably geared pretty short, but about half way through EIGHT, the engine sound was droning.
I think that’s why I scored the LA one higher. The video wasn’t much different than San Fransisco, but there was a larger sensation of speed, and less rev limiter.
I guess I like speed, not just gymnastics.
themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> McMike
03/01/2016 at 10:22 |
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As a fiesta ST driver......I kinda want to see him do Gymkhana in a stock fiesta ST. Stage it for a “test drive” (obviously it’ll be a bit fake but maybe he can surprise a salesman or something) and have him sliding around corners and dodging like “skate borders” in the streets and stuff. The crazy rally cars are fun and all, but hoonicorn set that bar way high and then we go back down with the rallycross car again......eeeeehhhhhh......let’s either admit it’s a ford commercial or get something different.
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themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> McMike
03/01/2016 at 10:24 |
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Also where does the top gear gymkhana rate? Or gymkhana 2.1 with the mini go-kart subaru?
CALUSA
> McMike
03/01/2016 at 10:24 |
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SanFran = the best!
Busslayer
> McMike
03/01/2016 at 10:27 |
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I appreciate you putting them here together. Don’t have time right now to re watch them, but will look it up later today. I do remember being pretty blown away by the first couple of them but not having that same feeling with the later ones. It would be interesting to find a guy that was marooned on a desert island for the last 20 years and let him watch these and rank them.
Funktheduck
> McMike
03/01/2016 at 10:36 |
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I've never watched all of any of these. Watched almost all of San Francisco but all the practice tire marks kind of ruined the illusion for me.
uofime-2
> McMike
03/01/2016 at 10:41 |
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I’d like to thank Ford for sponsoring all of the recent ones. Take note kids, Fords are what your should RICE out and tear up, not Subarus, Fords. Take your giant Monster logs, flat bills and vapes over there please.
Please.....?
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McMike
> themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
03/01/2016 at 10:46 |
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Top Gear and Dyrdek were not considered for this piece.
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themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> McMike
03/01/2016 at 11:06 |
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I’ll do it myself then.
Gymkhana 2.1 -
3/5 blocks. Dyrdek is a massive ham and there is some good fun here. But it just......tries too hard? Not sure what it is but I never really seek this out to show people.
Ken block on top gear -
5/5 blocks. James may shows how boring ken block is as a person and highlights that he has all the presence of a damp rag. So injecting some captain slow into the mix along with the best motocross rider ever created and some good stunts, edits, and effects makes it one of the few I actively watch again. No advertising, just a great skill display with some wonderful characters. It’s the most fun. It doesn’t try to be “EXTREEEEEEEME” and even 7, awesome as it was, was more about how brutal they could go. But I think this is the best one on balance. Plus, you get to watch james may’s eyeballs spin out of his head for a moment there.
William Byrd
> McMike
03/01/2016 at 12:45 |
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Solid effort, I tend to agree with most of the ratings. Well done.
mcseanerson
> McMike
03/02/2016 at 12:42 |
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You missed one.
This is always the one I watch when I think of his first Gymkhana video.
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450X_FTW
> themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
09/13/2016 at 08:58 |
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I’d knock the Dyrdek one up a Block, only because it was done as a spoof, or more for fun than anything and was a good laugh.
Top Gear, I’d rate 7 out of 5 Blocks
Wheelerguy
> McMike
09/13/2016 at 08:58 |
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I, too, loved GYM_9. It’s kind of a soft reboot, a la Mad Max: Fury Road , but also kind of like Star Wars Ep7 , too: brings a familiar spectacle while introducing something new to the table.
I think it’s time for Vs. Gymkhana, though. Block, another rallycross competitor who’s chill with dancing with him but is not an American, racing to converge to a certain point where armies from their countries do what Top Gear did here.
It’d be an immense, 30-minute riot.
Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> McMike
09/13/2016 at 08:58 |
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The donut on the ledge and the train jump were the only interesting things that really happened in 9.
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McMike
> Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
09/13/2016 at 09:03 |
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Yeah, but at least there were no explosions or other silly stuff. Kind of a revisit of ONE, but with the added budget and those two interesting things.
It was hard giving it a 4, but those two interesting parts were cool.
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Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> McMike
09/13/2016 at 09:06 |
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Yeah. At this point I think he’s running out of ideas.
BunkyTheMelon
> McMike
09/13/2016 at 09:14 |
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My favorite is still the Gymkhana Practice. It's so raw and unrefined. Less of an infomercial, and more of a "just for fun" kinda vibe.
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McMike
> Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
09/13/2016 at 09:17 |
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I read a few weeks ago that Buffalo was going to be the setting for Nine, I immediately thought winter.
I would have watched 8 min of snowy AWD rooster tails or ice racing.
scoob
> Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
09/13/2016 at 09:17 |
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TO THE MOON.
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Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> McMike
09/13/2016 at 09:23 |
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That would have been awesome.
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Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> scoob
09/13/2016 at 09:24 |
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Don’t think he has that big of a budget. Maybe he needs to hire a certain Seat Safety Switch to write GK10.
AfromanGTO
> McMike
09/13/2016 at 10:40 |
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How come in 9 they didn’t play the Goo Goo Dolls? They were in Buffalo. It is like going to Jersey and not hearing Springsteen or Bon Jovi. They should have played some of their older metal stuff. They could have played this song they did for the Freddy Krueger movie.
deprecated account
> McMike
09/13/2016 at 11:59 |
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GYM5 was 5/5 IMO. The jumps, trolley drifts, intro, and outro were so awesome. Now I can’t hear Styx’s “Come Sail Away” without thinking of GYM5.
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> McMike
09/22/2016 at 14:02 |
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Autodrome was and is the best.
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> mcseanerson
09/22/2016 at 14:04 |
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Blocked from my country on copyright grounds?!
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
09/22/2016 at 14:06 |
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SF gets second in my mind, because logistics.
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mcseanerson
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
09/22/2016 at 14:20 |
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I’m getting the same thing now. Dangit. That was my favorite.
aquila121
> themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
12/18/2018 at 18:24 |
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What about the Grand Tour’s “Farmkhana”? I’m a fan, personally.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> McMike
12/18/2018 at 18:50 |
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Watching The Gymkhana Files on Amazon really enhanced 10 for me. It just felt way more special seeing all of the work put into it and all of the backstory there. I am glad that even they focused on how much of a success 5 was and that they really havent been able to top it since. 5 will always be my favorite just because it’s so perfect. It is the only one that truly stands out to me and the only one that I regularly rewatch.
Climbkhana probably is a close second just because its way less gimmicky and the tail hang at evo corner was just insane. The bit about it in the Gym Files doc really sold it to me just because I hadnt realized how insane that was before then.
AestheticsInMotion
> McMike
12/18/2018 at 19:22 |
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I’m watching all of them tonight.
What about the one in the sand? Is that not officially a gymkhana? By far my favorite
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McMike
> AestheticsInMotion
12/18/2018 at 19:53 |
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I’m only counting the
whole numbered events. After all, those are the only ones he’s counting. :)
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AestheticsInMotion
> McMike
11/18/2019 at 20:45 |
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One year later and... I still think the desert one is fun enough to add to the list!
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McMike
> AestheticsInMotion
11/18/2019 at 22:00 |
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I think I broke my own rule by adding the climbkhana video.
Danny Korecki
> McMike
11/18/2019 at 22:10 |
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If you like Gymkhana/Ken Block/Hoonigan check out the r/Hoonigan subreddit on reddit. I “own it”.
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McMike
> Danny Korecki
11/18/2019 at 22:17 |
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I like them, but once once or twice. Not nearly enough for me to deal with subreddit mods* .
*
Not you, of course. I’m sure you’d never remove every post I submit
and directed me to a irrelevant
sub. :)
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Danny Korecki
> McMike
11/18/2019 at 22:37 |
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Nope, I am probably right there with you. I am always o ne step away from being banned from every sub.
wafflesnfalafel
> McMike
11/18/2019 at 23:26 |
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Even better with a little goofiness and a strong back beat...
MonkeePuzzle
> McMike
11/19/2019 at 09:28 |
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three was my favourite. I loved the wheels, I loved th e location , and something about the way he slithers through a few gates and openings was deeply satisfying (the gate at ~4:25 as example)
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> McMike
11/19/2019 at 09:57 |
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Yeah, the autodrome is still
my favorite.