Ken Block, one of the greatest wheelmen of our time, has always gone where the wind blows him. He kicked off his Gymkhana video series with a Subaru before making the transition to Ford. But after creating a massive stir with his Hoonicorn RTR Mustang versus the world series that included such crazy stunts as a drag race against a donk car, Block finally said goodbye to the Blue Oval at the beginning of the year. If you've been wondering where he is these days and what he's up to, the answer is an unusual one: he's rallying in a Skoda now, a car brand that most Americans aren't even aware of.

This week, Block is in Salem looking to win the 100 Acre Wood Rally for the eighth time, from behind the wheel of a Skoda Fabia R5+. Speaking with DirtFish, Block says that the relationship with Skoda is not yet confirmed as a lasting one. "I love racing in the Rally In The 100 Acre Wood event. The stages fit my driving style and I especially dig the flat-out, but technical nature of the roads. Since we haven't yet finalized all of my deals for the year, I jumped at the chance to race this Škoda R5+ for this event," said Block. His car will run in the ARA's O4WD class for open-class four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Although he's not as familiar with this Skoda machine as he is with a Mustang, the odds are in his favor. He's entered the Missouri ARA round nine times, winning it seven times and only missing out on the top step on the other occasions thanks to mechanical failures. Hopefully, his Skoda will be more reliable than the Ford Escort RS Cosworth he competed in last time, as that 2019 endeavor saw the engine fail. Not that such good publicity would have any real benefit in the US; Skoda has been owned by Volkswagen since 1994 but many assume Soviet connections, so it's not yet viable to sell the brand here.