VIDEO: Hoonigan Releases Ken Block’s Final Gymkhana Film

Hoonigan and Audi release the final video of the late Ken Block and his Hoonitron tearing up the streets of Mexico City!

Ken Block: a name which needs no introduction. With a legacy spanning over a decade, Ken Block left one of the strongest impacts that shaped what motorsport is today. The Hoonigan team’s YouTube channel has over 5 and a half million subscribers alone, not counting the hundreds of millions of people who’ve tuned in over the years. His cars appeared in movies, video games, and an immeasurable number of fan-made media. And today, Hoonigan released the final Ken Block gymkhana video we’ll ever see. Mexico City hosts the spectacle of speed and smoke, providing a breathtaking backdrop for his S1 Hoonitron to do what it does best. Within just a few hours, the video already reached almost 500,000 views, a number that’s sure to run well into the millions. Let’s have a look at the incredible results, a worthy send-off for a hero to millions around the world.

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The very opening shot reveals the S1’s latest creative party-trick. One which only a dual-motor vehicle can offer: the front and rear wheels spinning in opposing directions. This display shrouds the Electrikhana in a plume of smoke before it’s even moving. Which is only the start of one very impressive spectacle (as always). According to Audi, the car produces a total of 500kW of power from two electric motors. It also features a carbon-fiber chassis with FIA-rated safety equipment, among other nifty extras.

Being the second iteration, built in collaboration with Audi, the Electrikhana 2 underwent some modifications with input from Block. Of course we have the aforementioned independently-spinning axles. Aside from that, Audi claimed on their website that further improvements include “reducing weight, improving drivability, and simulating gear changes.” From what we can see, Block certainly agreed, as he threw around the S1 like a paper airplane in a hurricane. The Audi left smoke trails along a variety of locations across the city, from the airport, to a stadium, to a parking garage and every street in between.

A Fitting End to an Era

Block’s legacy brought automotive acrobatics and rally racing out of the niche and into the public eye. Arguably more than any other driver before or since. And this video marks his final personal contribution to the sport. A bittersweet ending, though his enduring spirit continues bringing in new faces to the enthusiast community. Audi’s press release stated that releasing this footage was “a matter close to the heart” of his family. And we think everyone involved did a wonderful job in ensuring that this wish was respected. The end-credits sequence highlights a lifetime’s worth of passion and dedication to motorsports. Although it’s impossible to compress the amount of impact this man had on the world of motoring into just a few minutes, it’s most definitely a beautiful and touching tribute to a man whose love of cars touched so many others.

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M.C. Cuccio

I've been an automotive aficionado since I had baby teeth. My path was set when I first leaned on my grandfather's classic Porsche as I learned how to walk. One of my first memories was my mother sitting me behind the wheel of her Pontiac and talking me through the instrumentation and controls. Even though I was a mere three or four years old, I was instantly sold, and filled notebooks with technical drawings, sketches, and collections of manuals of all sorts of cars. I've actively tracked developments in automotive and motorsport technology for well over 20 years, and pride myself on being intimately familiar with the functions and history of a wide range of vehicles.

My primary goal as a writer and enthusiast is to equally learn and share what I've learned in a constructive and interesting way. I maintain connections with people from around the world and can read technical manuals in Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, granting me access to a wide array of resources. My primary focuses are deep-dives into historical topics, motorsport discussion, and learning about the complex mechanical elements of such vehicles. As such, my research is never perfect; as anyone into cars will attest, the more you learn about cars, the more you realize how little you actually know. Therefore, I always welcome fresh knowledge and corrections to help me better my work in the future.

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