Preview: Ken Block set to release Gymkhana Two video on June 1

Ken Block, co-founder of DC Shoes and extreme sports junkie, has only been driving rally cars for a few short years, but is already one of the most recognizable and successful drivers in the Rally America series. He was named rookie of the year in 2005, and won five rallies in the 2008 season. Much of Block's fame, however is due to what he's done with his Subaru rally car off the course, including jumping it 171 feet for Discovery Channel's Stunt Junkies and launching it off a snow-covered mountain for the cover of Snowboarder magazine. Most recently, Block became a YouTube sensation with the Gymkhana Practice video with millions witnessing his impressive car control on the El Toro airfield.

The first Gymkhana (pronounced jim-kah-nuh) video was such a success that Block decided to do a sequel in a new location and with an all-new car. The video will officially launch on DC Shoes' web site on June 1, but we were lucky enough to get a sneak preview yesterday at an exclusive press event at the Port of Los Angeles where Gymkhana Two was filmed. Block was on hand to give out rides in the his WRX STI custom built by Crawford Performance just for the video, and needless to say, there was plenty of tire smoke and passengers grinning from ear to ear. While you'll have to wait just a few more days for the video, we took a slew of photos at the preview for your viewing enjoyment and we've posted a video after the break detailing the build of Block's new STI.

Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.