I’m a big Gymkhana fan. It’s just about the most fun automotive media production I’ve seen, perhaps ever. However, I’ve wondered how they would keep it fresh. Critics will say it’s largely the same thing each time, Ken Block siding around in a different location. For the “turned up to 11” Gymkhana 2020 version, they handed the reins over to a new hoon, Travis Pastrana.
And they did it in a place much closer to my hometown, Annapolis, MD. Until a few years ago, I lived in Southern MD and spent a ton of time downtown where Pastrana kicks off his session. In fact, the picture of the NSX parked at the valet in my recent review was at Pussers, which is just over the bridge on the right as Pastrana was escorted into town. They start things off big with a massive jump over the harbor, with a Hoonigan boat underneath (there planes later!).
It stays good, with some tandem donuts with the new 2022 BRZ, and then a wheel that literally gets hung out over the water in a way Block never quite did. It’s a ton of fun and ends at Pastranaland, his own personal playground near Annapolis. While Block looked bored in the car, Pastrana looks intense, perhaps terrified, while doing these stunts. OK, enough of my yammering, just watch, this is good.
Terrific stuntwork, ruined by horrible video editing.
Gymkhana is largely the same thing each time, but that’s fine. AC/DC don’t show a ton of range, but Thunderstruck still rips.
However, the choice to release this version now and an extended cut in the new year is odd. At the same time, it should help fill this one out, which is good, but I don’t know if I’d rank it among the best.
Good analogy!
Nice feature of the new BRZ. I wonder what they had to do to it to make it drift like that.
I was wondering that too. Impressive tight/consistent donut as well.
Never really changes, but never gets old.
This is occasionally beyond what I would expect as reasonable precision in driving. Impressive!
Agreed, plus it’s interesting to see the driver look legit scared at times.
I was last down in Annapolis with the NSX. Literally took the same drive into town. The valet picture shows the road he was on in the beginning. Then we pulled out (grainy screen cap from a friend’s video below), went around the circle and up the same street where he passes the crab. Pretty cool.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/cbf4953c2fd501bb66280dd2d17646a5c22fd7fea45bbbbabda75b8dc61e4bca.jpg
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b096e56060f0b091ee35f0c23adc64d52061e4f22bed438bc0747e81737a1489.png
It’s funny how some drivers are utterly calm and others totally white knuckle intensity, Pastrana seems to be the latter, which while he’s clearly got talent, would make me a lot less confident to be his passenger vs. a more zen driver.