XDUBAI PARTNERS WITH INTERNATIONAL RALLYING SENSATION KEN BLOCK

May 27, 2015, Dubai, UAE: XDubai today announced the addition of the U.S.A based Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block to its stellar line-up of local and internationally acclaimed athletes.

Committed to strengthening Dubai’s position as an action sports destination, XDubai has introduced the Emirate to a culture of path breaking events and captivated fans through action packed and video content, and athletes. Focused on a number of action sports disciplines, including freestyle football, motocross, surfing and even Jetman, XDubai together with its athletes has innovatively pushed the boundaries of sports to achieve the unthinkable in Dubai.

“Since launching in early 2015, XDubai has taken great strides to make Dubai an action sports destination for athletes from around the world. We are excited to partner with Ken Block and support him as he prepares to make his Middle East debut right here in Dubai. As one of the foremost rally drivers in the world, Ken lives by our philosophies and constantly seeks to push his achievements every time he gets behind the wheel of his car,” said Ismaeil Al Hashmi

“I’m really excited about this partnership,” said Block. “While we were in the initial discussions to make this deal possible, I took a trip to Dubai to learn more about XDubai and the city itself and I was blown away. It’s a hugely impressive city and it’s also known for being a massively progressive city in that region of the world. The team at XDubai absolutely gets what I do and what I’m about and, as I’m sure everyone knows, Dubai itself has a passion for all things automotive. I had a blast there, so I’m looking forward to heading back over. We’ve got some fun demo appearances planned for over there later in the year with my Ford Mustang Hoonicorn RTR from Gymkhana SEVEN.”

XDubai will host the Dubai leg of Ken Block’s 2015 racing program, which includes an appearance at the Dubai International Motorshow on November 14, 2015, as part of his visit to the Dubai Motor Festival which takes place from November 10-21, 2015. It will officially be the first public appearances and driving demos by Block in the Middle East region, as well as the first appearance of the Hoonicorn RTR.

Ken Block will make his debut wearing the XDubai logo at the highly anticipated X Games in Austin, Texas between June 4 – 7, 2015.

KEN BLOCK BIO:

Ken Blockʼs rally career began in 2005. His skill and car control became quickly apparent and Block aptly nabbed Rookie of the Year that season in the Rally America Championship. Since then, Block has continued to race in the series, racking up numerous overall wins as well as plenty of podium appearances. He’s also accumulated five X Games medals since the start of his career, including most recently taking silver at Global X Games Barcelona RallyCross in 2013. In addition to his performance in the car, Block has been a driving force in shedding light on the sport of rally within the United States.

His keen branding and marketing acumen, combined with his talents and skills behind the wheel, has also allowed Block to achieve global fame as a rally driver through his wildly successful viral Gymkhana series of videos. With all six of his Gymkhana videos (plus all associated edits) clocking in at over 250 million views on the franchise in total, they have helped put Block in front of eyeballs around the world. The franchise has also racked up several awards, including making the top 10 viral video charts by Ad Age, as well as the One Show Interactive Gold Pencil Award in the category of Online Films & Video/Long Form – Single, for excellence in an advertising campaign.

In January 2010, Block formed the Monster World Rally Team and signed with Ford to pursue his dreams of racing in the World Rally Championship and in doing so, became one of only four Americans to ever score points in the WRC (more Americans have actually landed on the moon than scored points in the WRC). Additionally, his signing with Ford included campaigning domestically in racing (Global RallyCross Championship, X Games and Rally America), as well as continuing with his Gymkhana driving.

In 2012, Block re-named his team Hoonigan Racing Division, with the goal to further push the boundaries of motorsports marketing. For 2015, Block will be competing in the Global RallyCross Championship, select Rally America rounds, a handful of international rallies, the Gymkhana GRID finals in Europe and some international Gymkhana demos.