Ken Block was an adventure enthusiast. Unfortunately, the Hoonigan founder and Gymkhana stunt driver crashed and died in a snowmobile accident on January 2.

If it was part of extreme sports, it seemed like Block rode it, drove it, or pushed it to its absolute limits. Every time he performed a stunt, there was a chance of death or dismemberment. Still, he went out there and gave us the show we’ve loved for many years. Unfortunately, while snowmobiling on January 2, Ken encountered a steep slope, and the machine ended up on top of him, resulting in his tragic death.

How will many remember this icon?

Ken brought his vision of extreme sports and incredible rally racing stunts to the rest of the world through his Hoonigan and Gymkhana ventures. While an incredible businessman with visions that continually pushed boundaries and showed us what his high-tuned performance cars could do.

Of course, more important than his business ventures is his family, which he leaves behind after crashing his snowmobile. Block competed at the highest levels of rally driving since the mid-2000s, finishing on the podium many times, which helped to rocket his career into extreme racing.

What are some of the top Ken Block moments and memories?

A practice run that got things started

Before he was a household name, we got to see the racing icon show off his drifting skills during a practice video that was shot at an empty airfield. Although Block was well-known for racing many different rally cars, many of them Ford models, this first moment features him racing around in a 2006 Subaru WRX STI.

Taking Matt LeBlanc on an incredible ride

Matt LeBlanc, best known for playing the character of Joey on Friends, is one of the Top Gear hosts. In that position, he got the pleasure of riding alongside Ken Block during one of his many drifting exploits. Just imagine how he must have felt while inside the Hoonicorn Mustang Madness while taking a drifting tour of London.

A fitting end to the Ford partnership

For many years, Block was tied at the hip to the Ford Motor Company and created some of the most incredible rally and drifting cars from some of the Ford hatchbacks, coupes, muscle cars, and small trucks. The Hoonicorn, which is the name of the Mustang, went for one last while ride as a way to bid farewell to the relationship with Ford. Could there have been a classier way for the partnership to end? Probably not.

Electrikhana began but barely got off the ground

The latest adventure for the Hoonigan team was to create Electrikhana. This would have been a series of stunt videos with Block behind the wheel of an electric Audi performance car. The car being used was specially made for this series and offered exactly what Block wanted in the car that could silently show off with some amazing performance and a bend toward protecting the environment.

The Hoonicorn took on Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak is the location of one of the world’s most famous hill climb races. Ken Block wasn’t a stranger to this hill, and the daunting track used to challenge racers to hit some incredible speeds. Of course, Block didn’t just climb the hill like other racers; he showed off some fantastic drifting performance to showcase just how useful the Toyo Tires were on his car. Of course, the car chosen for this climb was the Hoonicorn.

Ken scares James May in an early Top Gear episode

James May, one of the original Top Gear hosts and current hose of The Grand Tour on Amazon, sat in the passenger seat of a Block-driven car during Top Gear 13. Not only does this memory make many feel old, especially when seeing more recent photos of both Block and May, but he also took James on a ride that could scare “Mr. Slowly” half to death. Could this have been the event that started the teasing of James May by his fellow cohosts Jeremey Clarkson and Richard Hammond? Maybe.

Chinese Roads weren’t a match for the driving skills

Ken Block’s driving skills and reaction times were off the charts. China is covered in endless mountain roads that are some of the most daunting and dangerous in the world. This seems like the perfect match of man vs. terrain to see which one would come out on top. The twists and turns of the roads are enough to make anyone ready to toss their lunch over a guard rail, but this memory has Block racing around in a 914-horsepower Ford F-150 that was ideally modified for drifting around some of the hairpin turns.

Gymkhana meets Los Angeles in the seventh installment

The Gymkhana 7 video is the most successful version of this amazing stunt racing series performed by the Hoonigan team with Ken behind the wheel. During the video, some of the most iconic locations of the Log Angeles area are shown between takes of Block racing around some of the coolest features and on some amazing roads. As you would expect, Ken took on this challenge and showed his skills around the area to give us a look at how much fun it can be to drift, drive, and perform amazing stunts.

The Ken Block legacy will live on

There’s no denying the Block family is mourning the sudden loss of their most famous member. Ken was an incredible businessman and Rally racing champion, but he, most importantly, instilled a love of racing and extreme sports into his children. He’s survived by his wife and three children. The oldest daughter, 16-year-old Lia, recently began following in her father’s footsteps.

Could the Ken Block legacy live on much like the Steve Irwin legacy continues? Incredibly, both of these pioneers in their respective fields passed their love and curiosity onto their oldest daughters to give them a fantastic foundation to follow in their footsteps. We might begin to see Lia Block become the next stunt driver for the Hoonigan team, which would certainly offer a parallel path to Bindi Irwin.