Both driver and co-driver escaped without harm, but the iconic rally car was a total loss.
Ken Block had high hopes for his classic 1991 Ford Escort RS Cosworth Group A rally car, but after a promising first outing in April, a relatively minor rollover led to a serious fire that quickly consumed the car.
Fortunately, Block (and co-driver Alex Gelsomino) made it out of the car safely.
As far as rally racing crashes go, this one looked innocent enough, but once the car came to a stop, a fire broke out under the hood and the flames spread extremely fast. Check out this in-car video of the incident.
Via Instagram, Ken Block said: "We were running in third overall in the New England Forest Rally (with a gearbox problem), pressing on to finish Stage 4 when I turned into a tighter left corner and downshifted. The box didn't shift when I wanted it to (because mechanical issue), and when it finally did, it threw me into the inside of a corner and into a big rock. That rock sent us rolling over twice. We landed on our wheels, and I was ready to get going again because we were shiny side up. Buuuut as you can see, a fire started REALLY quick. Alex and I got out safely, but the car thoroughly burned right there on the stage."
In the car's debut race at the Oregon Trail Rally in April, the car performed well placing third. The next scheduled race was to be the Idaho Rally International, but it isn't clear what car (if any) he will enter in that event. He does have another Escort RS Cosworth that acts as a static display vehicle...
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