Racing
Drift legend Ken Block: In “Elecktrikhana Two” he shows incredible action one last time
Ken Block lost his life in a snowmobile accident in January 2023 at the age of 55.
© Hoonigan / PR
Racing driver Ken Block became known for his daring maneuvers with high-horsepower cars. He died in a snowmobile accident in January. The last recordings of the exceptional talent have now been released posthumously – and are inspiring millions.
Nobody is more associated with professional drifting and high-horsepower cars than Ken Block. His projects have dominated the video charts for years. The way Ken Block can drive cars around obstacles is unique. But at age 55, Block still lost his life in a snowmobile accident last January. For a long time it was thought that his first video with an electric car, appropriately called “Elecktrikhana” instead of “Gymkhana”, would be the last. But in November his team was surprised with the news: There’s more to come. Shortly before his death, the sequel to “Elecktrikhana” was shot.
Ken Block rides the Hoonitron one last time
The new video with Ken Block and his converted Audi is now out. The description for the eleven and a half minute long film says: “In November 2022, Ken Block and the Hoonigan team headed to Mexico City to film the next part of the Electrikhana series with the Audi S1 Hoonitron. Something More than a month later, the devastating loss of Ken Block meant the project was put on hold – until now.”
The Hoonigan team founded by Block delivers again. As usual, Block zooms through Mexican cities, parking garages, airports and tunnels. The video contains almost no music. What remains are screaming electric motors and suffering tires. Block is said to have used more than 100 tires in Vegas. This time there will be no fewer.
For a long time it was not clear what exactly was in the Audi that the racing driver was chasing through the streets in daring maneuvers. At the time, Block estimated the performance at “somewhere between 2000 and 3000 hp”, which is not entirely true.
A unique talent leaves
The Hoonitron has two so-called motor-generator units, each with 250 kilowatts, i.e. 340 hp. Together, the Audi has 680 hp. The manufacturer specifies the torque as 640 Newton meters, and the maximum speed of the electric machines is 28,000 revolutions per minute. “Thanks to these extreme moments, Ken Block is able to pull spectacular drifts and achieve wheel speeds of more than 200 km/h,” explained Audi after the release of the first film with the S1.
10 pictures
“Elecktrikhana Two” actually only lasts a good eight minutes. His team uses the video to send a final greeting to the late exceptional talent and shows scenes from the past projects that went around the world under the name “Gymkhana”.
The numbers also show that his fans particularly appreciate the video. Within a day, “Elecktrikhana Two” garnered more than 1.5 million views and charted on YouTube trends.
Ken Block’s daughter also races
The Block name won’t disappear from the racing scene – Ken’s daughter Lia appears to be taking over her father’s legacy. Most recently she drove in the so-called “Hoonipigasus“, a converted Porsche 911, the legendary track at Pikes Peak.