Ken Block and Travis Pastrana Had Planned a Blowout Finale for the Next Gymkhana
The two friends were to drift up Mount Washington together, with Ken’s daughter Lia taking over the series at the end.
Ken Block’s sudden passing in January left the enthusiast community reeling from the loss of one of the biggest, most visible presences. Amid the widespread grief, a common question popped up: What would happen to his landmark Gymkhana stunt video series? Around that time, Road & Track asked Travis Pastrana, who'd stepped in as the wheelman in the two most recent films, about the franchise's future. But he didn’t know, nor had he talked with Hoonigan’s Brian Scotto or Lucy Block, Ken's wife, out of respect for what’d just occurred.
That future is still in limbo—but in a conversation with The Drive, Pastrana finally shared more about what he and Block were planning for the next installment. And it sounds like the world missed out on a masterpiece.
The finale, or rather a potential finale, would’ve heralded the next generation of Gymkhana superstars and been the biggest, best, and wildest video to date. Pastrana says he and Block planned to go head-to-head in a race up Mount Washington in New Hampshire, drifting almost the entire hillclimb course, settling their friendly rivalry on tarmac and dirt. Moreover, they discussed a post-credits scene where Block's teenage daughter Lia would be revealed as the future star of the franchise.
Below is an excerpt of the conversation; you can read the whole thing here.
Travis Pastrana: So what was going to be interesting was this year was going to be kind of a race about a race, where we were, I was going to try to get Ken to basically go up Mount Washington. And we were going to try to actually set the record, because now it's more pavement, but drifting the whole time. It just would be something fun, and set it up for when we're talking crap to have a Ken versus myself Gymkhana. Which would've been not our final Gymkhana, but that would've been...
The Drive: A high water mark.
Pastrana: We would've been like, okay, what's the all-time stunts? What's the craziest stuff? What have we wanted to get but couldn't get permits for? We're going to just blow this out of the water.
It would’ve been an absolute showstopper of a film, according to Pastrana. The film’s ending would’ve seen the two of them possibly riding off into the sunset, only to reveal Ken’s daughter, Lia, taking the reins and setting herself up for what would be the next evolution of the series.
Pastrana: And at the end of that, [like] how I came into Ken's after [the] 10[th video], where we got out of the car and the credits were going to be rolling to family, but basically having Lia at the end taking the car. And that was going to be a transition, if she wanted to, for her to take over the series.
Obviously, this didn’t happen, nor can it now. But it sounds like it would’ve been absolutely wild. The two OGs going head-to-head shredding tires, jumping everything around, and pulling out all the stops for one last (maybe) hurrah. And Lia taking over after her own successes and drives in the Hoonicorn and Hoonipig, her Can-Am racer, and rally car sounds like it would’ve been an excellent baton pass to the next generation of car enthusiasts.
It does sound like that last part is still in the cards, and my fingers are crossed. We’ll have to wait to find out whether or not the next Gymkhana sets up Lia’s reign, but based on her prowess and confidence behind the wheel of the Hoonicorn and her rally car, which she’s used to currently lead the 2WD class in the American Rally Association’s championship, she’s shaping up to be a helluva driver in her own right.
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