Ken Block Wins Global Rallycross Season Finale in Las Vegas
Ken Block scored the first win of his Global Rallycross career on Thursday night, taking the checkered flag in the season finale held on the Las Vegas Strip. Block beat defending series champion Tanner Foust and Travis Pastrana for the victory, while fourth place finisher Toomas Heikkinen was crowned 2013 Global Rallycross champion.
“It’s been a bit of a tough year—I’ve had the speed but just haven’t had the luck in the first turn,” said Block. “Today I got a decent start, had some good luck in the first turn, and a unfortunately Tanner jumped the start, which gave us free reign for the win. It was fun battling with Travis earlier, fun battling with Tanner, but my team works incredibly hard, and it’s great to finally give me and my team a win.”
For Block, the victory was the culmination of a season that saw him take the top seed four times and win a 11 of 13 heats. Foust, meanwhile, earned his third runner-up position of the season, while Pastrana earned a place on the podium for the first time since his victory in New Hampshire in July 2012.
Global Rallycross also crowned champions in its Manufacturer’s battle and in GRC Lites, the sport’s new development class for 2013. Ford earned eight of nine victories this season on the way to the Manufacturer’s title, while Joni Wiman went a perfect six for six to become the inaugural GRC Lites champion.
For 2014 and beyond, Global Rallycross has signed a multi-year title sponsorship agreement with Red Bull and its 2014 Global Rallycross schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.