Durban - If you are a car fanatic, the odds are that there is appeal to seeing a car going sideways in a whirlwind of tyre smoke. Formula 1 drivers are taught that a sliding car is a slow car but when it comes to shredding tyres in aggressive driving, speed is not of paramount importance. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the world of the Hoonigan.
According to the website hoonigan.com, a Hoonigan is defined as: “A person who operates a motor vehicle in an aggressive an unorthodox manner, consisting of, but not limited to, drifting, burnouts, doughnuts as well as acts of automotive aeronautics. One who 'hoons'.”
The Hoonigan Racing Division was created by the world famous American rally car driver, Ken Block, a rally driver who found internet fame after his practice sessions were recorded and put onto YouTube.
Since then, DC Shoes and Monster Energy have stepped in to sponsor the Hoonigan Racing Division, which is a motor racing team that competes in the World Rally Championship, Global RallyCross Championship, FIA World Rallycross Championship and Rally America.
Ken Block heads up the Hoonigan Racing Division with multiple protégés such as Vaughn Gittin Jr and vehicles are custom made to be driven on the very limits of physics, doing utterly visually stunning tricks and stunts that have made Hoonigan one of the most widely watched channels on the internet.
From racing through an obstacle course on an old airplane hangar, Ken Block's racing division has come a long way. The team's fame and entertainment value have given it the power to actually close roads in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi in the pursuit of the next YouTube sensation.
To a real driver, hooning not just about shredding tyres. It is a precise art form that leaves viewers and other drivers both impressed and astounded.
To better explain what The Hoonigan is all about, we embedded these videos from the official channel - think of it as a tyre-shredding show-and-tell:
Ken Block takes on Abu Dhabi:
undefinedKen Block takes on Los Angeles:
Ken Block takes on San Francisco: