Yes, Gymkhana is still a thing, and it’s still absolutely bonkers
December 08, 2022
After 14 years, there’s still a thrill in seeing a real-life driver steer a real-life car into some real batsh*t crazy situations. Oh, and put it to music. That’s been the recipe for Hoonigan and Ken Block since 2008, when its Gymkhana film series launched and almost immediately got more than 500 million views on YouTube.
Now Hoonigan has launched its newest film, the second starring driver Travis Pastrana—who took the reins from Block last year—featuring new and familiar automotive thrills ripped across the Florida Keys, Fort Lauderdale, and parts of the Everglades in a purpose-built AWD 865 horsepower Subaru GL Wagon, nicknamed the “Family Huckster.”
Want to see Pastrana do donuts around monster truck legend Gravedigger, as it balances on its front two wheels? Check. Or see Pastrana jump a helicopter by hitting a ramp at almost 165 mph? Check.
Back in 2016, while filming Gymkhana Nine, director Brian Scotto (helming his first Gymkhana) told me about the crew’s commitment to keeping things very, very real. “You’ll notice we don’t have camera cars, pursuit cars; we don’t do that because the more it feels like a Jason Bourne chase, the less people will connect with it,” said Scotto. “Viral videos are shot on phones. That’s a raw look and feel, and that’s what we try to stay true to because the driving and tricks are all practical and real, and we go out of our way to show that.”
By staying true to that approach, Hoonigan has built a rabid audience over Gymkhana’s past 11 films that it’s extended the franchise out to include mountain roads in Climbkhana, and electric vehicles in Electrikhana. But rest assured, Pastrana proves here that the original concept still slaps.
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