Here's How Ken Block Did Some Of Gymkhana 9's Most Dangerous Stunts

Every time Ken Block treats us to a new tire-torturing Gymkhana video, the stunts get increasingly daring. The surprise Climbkhana spin-off featured the most death defying car stunt Block has ever done, sliding around a corner at the Pikes Peak Hillclimb circuit just inches away from a sheer cliff drop. We're not quite sure how Block will top that, but he apparently will in Gymkhana 10 which promises to be the biggest and best yet with five cars and five locations in one video. Unfortunately, we have to wait until the end of next year for it to be released.

To ease the wait, Ford Performance is looking back at Gymkhana 9 released last year with some extended behind the scenes videos showing how some of the film's most dangerous stunts were executed. One of the standout stunts involves Block's Focus RS RX rallycross car jumping over a rail crossing while narrowly avoiding an oncoming train.

It's as spectacular as any similar scene you've seen in a Hollywood movie, and required meticulous planning to get right. Timing was everything, so the director had to coordinate with the train operator and Block to make sure both vehicles arrived at the crossing at the right time. Block had the harder task as it isn't easy to adjust the speed of a train, so there was little margin for error.

Fortunately, he nailed it and the result was one of the most memorable Gymkhana stunts. Another video shows Block drifting around a waterfront with only inches to spare – though ironically, despite the crew being satisfied with the shot, he didn't manage to slide the car around the barrels as intended in the first take. So he tried again and repeated the stunt until he got it right, even managing to drift around the waterfront twice in one run. "So, this is kind of that scary point because you just keep pushing and pushing and you hope that you push it inch-by-inch, not foot-by-foot," Hoonigan's Brian Scotto said while watching Block's sideways driving skills in awe.

A third video shows an extended take of one of Gymkhana 9's final stunts, in which Block does donuts around a helicopter dangling a 6,000-lb Ford Raptor truck in mid-air. What could possibly go wrong? Watching these stunts again only raises our expectations for Gymkhana 10, which can't come soon enough.