Back in September, the world bared witness to Ken Block’s Gymkhana THREE, Part 2; Ultimate Playground; l’Autodrome, France. In just three short months, the clicks have been tallied, and at nearly 20-million views, the latest installment in the Gymkhana series has earned itself a slot amongst YouTube’s Top 10 clips for 2010.
“The success of all of the Gymkhana clips just blows me away,” says Block. “When we filmed the first video, we were just having fun, it was never meant to be some huge marketing scheme. That said, it seems the best viral stuff is always the clips that feel organic. I guess we’re just lucky that so many people are interested in watching a video of me hooning about, so it’s really the fans to thank for making this top 10 list.”
If you’re asking yourself what it takes besides donuts around Segway stunt riders, wall slides, threading the needle sideways and tire smoke to break into the Top 10, here are some other notable winners: OK Go’s This Too Shall Pass (dope Rube Goldberg action), Old Spice’s The Man Your Man Could Smell Like commercial (hilarious), Antoine Dodson’s Bed Intruder Song (also hilarious) and of course, everyone’s favorite WTF clip, Yosemitebear Mountain Giant Double Rainbow.
So, what does it all mean? It means that thanks to you, the fans, GYM3 has done in three short months what has taken others all year to achieve. Guess it also means that GYM4 is going to need a crazy, overly complicated machine in the background doing a rudimentary task, a guy on a horse, someone going off about people breaking into their home and of course, not one, but two, or maybe even three rainbows. Of course Justin Bieber riding the Segway next time wouldn’t hurt either.
5 rapid-fire factoids about GYM3
1. Within just two days of release, Gymkhana THREE, Part 2 became the most viewed video on YouTube.
2. After climbing to the most viewed position on YouTube’s charts, Gymkhana THREE, Part 2 held onto the #1 title for more than a week.
3. Ranked as the #2 favorite clip of all time in the Autos & Vehicles category of YouTube, Gymkhana THREE helps hold down four of the top five slots, with Gymkhana TWO, Gymkhana Practice and Gymkhana 2.1 BLOCK vs DYRDEK holding down the first, third and fifth spots.
4. When it comes to views, Gymkhana THREE, Part 2 ranks #5 of all time in YouTube’s Autos and Vehicles section, with Gymkhana TWO holding down the #3 spot and Ken Block’s Stunt Junkie’s jump holding the #2 spot.
5. It’s a fact, Obama still can’t Gymkhana.
Check out the news story here, and the YouTube coverage below:
Shot just south of Paris, France in Linas at l'Autodrome de Linas --Montlhéry, this 1.58 mile oval track, built in 1924, features banks as steep as 51 degrees, which is more than double the standard incline of most NASCAR ovals. Chosen by Ken for this specific reason, the ramp-like banking proved to be a unique and exciting challenge. The driving physics for the stunts performed were totally unknown until Ken attempted the maneuvers during filming.
Credit: Monster World Rally Team (www.monsterworldrallyteam.com)
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