There are two great houses of off-road, at least for my generation of those who consumed MTV before it went to just airing Ridiculousness. Those houses are the Pastranas and the Blocks.
For me, watching those two growing up, and later interviewing and hanging out with both Travis and Ken, are indelible moments in time. I can recall almost every second, including talking with Ken before his passing about our kids' triumphs, and having Travis call me out in the most Travis way possible to do something insanely sketchy.
Hopefully, I can do the latter once more in 2025.
But after Ken's untimely passing, his kids and wife took up the Blockhouse Racing mantle, setting both the tarmac and dirt on fire, and racing in whatever racing machine they could get their hands on. Yet, it's something truly special when the two houses come together for a backyard brawl on the track, as they did at the season finale of Nitrocross earlier this year at Utah Motorsports Campus.
Racing head-to-head are Travis, Lucy Block, Mika Block, and Kira Block. I'm guessing Lia was off doing way cooler things, like winning the ARA Rally Championship, racing in F3, or spitting flames in the Hoonicorn V2. As for the video, the three blocks, Travis, as well as newcomer Gray Ledbetter, and OG veteran Terry Madden, make for some truly excellent racing action.
In one instance, Madden—who rode with me after Travis called me out to drive up a rock wall–sent it hard into a corner and literally drove over another race-prepped Can-Am Maverick R. Because rubbing, and running over, is racing? Sure, that's the new saying.
As for the rest of the video, it's full of hijinks, hilarity, and some serious fun between the groups, as well as showing just how deep racing and off-roading are ingrained in these families. It's good stuff, folks. Check it out.
