You nod to your left, but you are not at all sure. Ken Block is about to take you for a spin in his one-of-a- kind, 'roided-up rally ride, the one specially modified for stunt driving. You buckle the four-way seat belt, pulling the straps so tight it feels as if you were wearing a 2,800-pound backpack. One last click and you are at Block's mercy. For the next 90 seconds, he is in total control.

He accelerates out of the start, and your helmet slams against the headrest; the car hits 100 mph before you can blink. Just as suddenly, Block slams his left foot on the brake, stopping inches before a concrete wall. Your stomach churns as he reverses, maneuvers around the wall and accelerates for 200 meters while slaloming through orange cones. His hands move quickly and precisely from steering wheel to gearshift and back. Block pulls a hard 180, then spins doughnuts around a van, so close you could reach out and touch it. He is no amateur, and this is no hobby.

The 42-year-old Block is the well-respected co-founder of DC Shoes, but he also happens to be a legit breakout star in rally racing. He has risen fast -- from zero racing experience to World Rally contender in five years --for the same reason he's a success in business: He sees the world differently. When other shoe companies marketed their skate sneaks the same way they did their basketball high-tops, Block spoke directly to skaters. Where other drivers saw an unwieldy one-and-a-half-ton vehicle, Block saw a skateboard with a roll cage. Midway through his 30s he thought he could not only learn a sport but win at it. He has vision and creativity. And he knows how to sell.