Ken Block shredded a lot of tires in his day, and he did it with finesse. In the driver seat, he controlled chaos with apparent ease. He made cars slide in impossible ways, and he did it with incomprehensible precision. Margin of error was measured in inches. He was a master.

Block's gravity-defying Gymkhana feats define his contribution to motor sports more so than his Rally Car racing days. It was after his success with DC Shoes and before Hoonigan Industries took off when Block turned to rally racing. He was already 37, but he went all in. Hooking up with Subaru, he and his friend Travis Pastrana, signed with Subaru Rally Team USA. After he had to retire, Block began developing Hoonigan extreme performance on YouTube.

Rally driving is where the Gymkhana driving style came from. Talking about developing it, Block said he took his rally driving skills and then added creative elements to make all-wheel racing more dynamic and entertaining. His insane displays of rally driving have been viewed millions of times over at the Hoonigan YouTube channel. Yet, the risks he took did more than that. Hoonigan became a subculture and instilled a new way of cool.

Related: 20 Little Known Facts About Ken Block's Gymkhana Series

10 Pikes Peak Drift

Climbkhana at Pikes Peak Hoonicorn
Hoonigan via YouTube

This is one of Ken Block’s most dramatic drifts ever. Kicking up a lot of dust, he slid the Hoonicorn to the very edge of a cliff. The event featured the ferocious Ford Mustang ripping around the steep and winding roads of Pikes Peak. This unbelievable stunt took place in Colorado at Pikes Peak for its legendary Gran Turismo hill climb races. That’s why this event was dubbed Climbkhana.

9 The Train Stunt

Ken Block train gymkhana stunt
Hoonigan via YouTube

This is one of the most insane maneuvers Block has ever pulled off. Sliding, drifting, accelerating, and jumping in front of a locomotive, and then clearing it, without impact, is something you want to watch again and again. The shot, captured in Buffalo, N.Y., was precision choreographed, tracking the train and the car in a feat of absolute perfect timing.

8 Ripping Up China's Most Treacherous Road

Climbkhana 2 Block in China
Hoonigan via YouTube

Vertical switchbacks and the element of danger of this road drew the Hoonigan crew to China. The road goes straight up the Tianmen Mountain in about six miles with 99 switchbacks and it is so dangerous driving is not permitted except for tour buses. But the crew was able to get sections of the Tianmen Mountain Highway in Hunan Province cut off to shoot Climbkhana 2. In this daring act of driving, Block defied the laws of physics by making this insane high-speed turn on a crazy-dangerous road, but it was not the first take. The first try showed him crunching the front end of his 900 horsepower Ford Hoonigan truck into solid rock. Physics won that round.

7 Drifting On The Water's Edge

water's edge drift Long Beach Ken Block Ford Focus
Hoonigan via YouTube

One of the most dangerous Gymkhana daredevil stunts was pulled off in Gymkhana 9 with the Ford Focus. Donuting on a dock in Buffalo and grazing the edge, Block said, “There was nothing holding me back from going over the edge.” Just in case, there was an oxygen kit in the car and a diving crew below in the water. The over-the-edge camera angle preserved the stunt beautifully.

6 The Russian Hill Jump

Block does Gymkhana jump in S.F.
Hoonigan via YouTube

This jump took place in San Francisco for Gymkhana 5. Block and his car were granted free access to the city and proceeded to defy gravity several times over. This included an alley oop slide around a cone and doing donuts around Travis Pastrana doing a wheelie on a bike. The jump, executed at Russian Hill, was the first stunt captured at the Gymkhana 5 gig, and it had a very small margin of error. Block landed it with just 70 feet of street to work with at very high speeds.

Related: Watch Ken Block Taking Gymkhana To The Gravel In Terrakihana Extended Cut

5 Airfield Aeronautics

BBC Top Gear with Ken Block Airfield rally driving
BBC

Ken Block takes Top Gear James May on the ride of his life, demonstrating gnarly rally skills at a remote California airfield. May tags Block in 2009 as a video game character “who has emerged into the real world,” a prescient description. Block’s course shows a dynamic brand of gymkhana performance art. It includes sliding donuts around aircraft and drifting in and out of an airplane hangar. May tries to keep his composure riding shotgun with a maniac driver. Approaching the grand finale jump, May says, “That’s a motocross jump. No!,” and up they go. Midair on a bike is Richie Carmichael, and the massive jet makes three.

4 Block Drives Hoonigan Subaru Through Fire

Block Gymkhana 2 DC Shoes promo
Hoonigan via YouTube

In this stunt, Block shows off his new 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI using the Port of Los Angeles as his playground. It’s titled, “Gymkhana 2 The Infomercial,” so, yes, it is essentially a very entertaining ad for DC shoes and the Hoonigan brand. This performance features a GTA-like encounter of gunfire and autos, ending with Block driving under a semi-truck trailer as it flares up in balls of fire, with somewhat of a smile on his face just as the flames ignite.

3 Randy's Donut Shop Donut

Block donut stunt around Randy's Donuts in LA
Hoonigan via YouTube

This now classic Hoonigan moment happened behind the wheel of the Hoonicorn Mustang. The slide around Randy’s Donuts was done in one take. Block wanted to try to get a better angle of the car’s close proximity from its rear to the cement parking block. Unfortunately, the drive train broke. All we have is this arrow pointing to the dramatic drift point.

Related: Get An Up Close Look At The Insane Gymkhana 11 Subaru WRX STI

2 Wall Riding In France

Block's gymkhana wall ride on racetrack Linas, France
Hoonigan via YouTube

The wall ride in France from Gymkhana 3 featured Block performing a stunt at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry, a classic oval track built in 1924. Block's mission was to accomplish one of his favorite skateboard tricks but on 18-inch Pirelli tires in a Ford Fiesta. Trying to figure out how to execute without being able to see where he was going was half the fun. The risk of flipping, however, was real. If the edge of the wheels catch, the car would flip and roll. Solution? He kept it full throttle. With all four wheels spinning, he could keep them gripping the pavement.

1 Hoonigan Water Balloon Trick

Gymkhana 2 stunt water balloon vs Block in Ford Focus
Hoonigan via YouTube

The water balloon stunt referenced one of the big YouTube tricks of the day, popping a water balloon in super-slow motion. It was a new phone capable technology then. Block said it was not an easy trick to do. He made a big left turn then swung it back with a hard right to nail the balloon-pop action shot. Block first hoped to have an actual person standing there holding it, but caution took shotgun. At the very end in the credits, however, Jason Ellis steps in and does the balloon trick without pulling back a stump. Block managed to talk him into it.