Gymkhana 11: Ford out, Subaru in as Travis Pastrana takes the reins
Ken Block will take a break from Gymkhana for this next go-round.
Meet the faces of the next Gymkhana film.
The next Gymkhana installment will look a little different when it arrives this year because series founder and star Ken Block will hand it over to Travis Pastrana. In the process, Subaru will throw its weight behind Pastrana and Gymkhana, ending years of high-performance Ford cars as the star machine, and a return to the Japanese marque.
Pastrana currently serves as Subaru Motorsports USA's rally and rallycross driver, which makes the switch understandable, though Block is also a former Subaru rally driver as well. It's not clear if this is a permanent driver switch, but Pastrana sounded pretty hyped up in a statement.
"I've got some ideas that I think can blow Ken's videos out of the water, and Subaru is on board to provide a car to do it. One thing's for sure, it's going to be unlike any Gymkhana you've ever seen before," he said. Pastrana also made a guest appearance in Gymkhana 10 at the end of the film, hinting at his future involvement.
We also know Block has a new Hoonicorn in the works based on a Fox Body-generation Ford Mustang, so it's hard to imagine Block won't be back in some form with the Gymkhana series. However, Gymkhana's viral success includes Subaru from the start. The first video, called Gymkhana Practice, starred a 530-horsepower Subaru WRX STI hatchback.
As for Ford, we likely won't see any new rally cars for Block or Pastrana to stunt in any future video. Ford and Block's Hoonigan Racing Division said in 2017 it would end its involvement with the World Rallycross Championship. New regulations meant Ford needed to develop a new rally car, which the automaker said wasn't in its best interests at the time.
