Hoonigan Chief and a professional rallycross driver Ken Block blew away the world with his popular Gymkhana series and accumulated millions of views on his YouTube videos. The legend has just joining forces with the German firm Audi, who Block claims to have "ignited his passion for motorsport" after watching an Audi Sport Quattro S1 in the Pikes Peak climb of the late 80's. However, Ken's job at Audi isn't the usual one of honing cars on camera to feast the eyes of drift-hungry souls. Instead, he will assist the engineers in developing Audi's future electric vehicles for road and motorsport.

At its height, Block's garage housed a total of 16 cars. Combining all the horsepower of those internal combustion engine's takes us to a grand total of 8,500 hp . This is enough grunt to move a small cargo vessel over the Atlantic: assuming there was something called small cargo ships. Do you remember that Ford Mustang Hoonicorn? It always seemed to be missing something. The small-block engine built by Roush was not enough for the job. What's the purpose of facilitating 845 hp when you could create a new variant, add up two massive Garrett turbos on either side of the downpipes, and now you have 1400 hp as well 1250 lb-ft of torque. When Block dropped the clutch on that thing, he was certainly causing tiny earthquakes around, and this makes his switch to the electric realm seem unusual.

Related: Here Are Ken Block's Most Insane Cars And Trucks

Ken Block At It Again With Zero Emission

After years of destroying tires with ridiculously-powered, custom-built Fiestas and a RS200 rally car, and having started with a Subaru WRX STI in the first Gymkhana film, how brash his future videos will remain is unclear. “Electric mobility is the future,” Block said. "I see electric car as a leap forward for us as a society in order to create something that can not only reduce emissions but hopefully make the planet a better place. But it's not just this, it's also about performnace. I love anything that helps m to go faster. Electric cars can accomplish this. As far as the sound is concerned, I've got children who aren't bothered about the sound of electric cars. They believe that the sound produced by electric vehicles is as awesome, just like internal combustion motors."

Ken Block knows how to drift and drive a rally vehicle, However, he's also a smart marketer. Audi hopes to use all of his talent to bring electric vehicles to life. After separating from Ford at the beginning of the year, Block drove various cars through 2021, including the Subaru WRX STI and an electric Trophy Truck. Block is now partnering with Audi to focus on developing electric performance vehicles. Audi is already active in the field of electric heat. It has been a participant with Block in Formula E and now developing its hybrid version of the RS Q etron for Dakar Rally. Block and Audi haven't revealed any specific plans, however, both parties believe they could make EVs more thrilling and attractive to the new generation of drivers.

"Audi stands for 'Vorsprung durch Technik,'" explained Oliver Hoffmann, board member for technical development at Audi. "Every day we try to break the boundaries and create an innovative future for mobility. Our goal is to impress our customers with innovative design, cutting-edge technology, and a vast digital ecosystem. I am pleased that we could bring Ken Block and his team to Audi."

Block recently went to the Audi Headquarters in Germany to engage with his new partner corporation. He got behind the wheel of the brand's legendary race vehicles, including those that sparked his love for rally racing. He also drove the Audi V8 DTM from the 1990s, the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo, and the production-ready RS e-Tron GT. "The Audi RS e-tron GT really surprised me," Block said in a statement. "The car's design is stunning with a great focus on the smallest details for a flawless final result. The driving experience is incredible and the car is very light in weight and handles extremely well. Its center of gravity sits quite low, allowing you to swiftly change directions."

Related: Watch Ken Block Shred Tires In The All-Electric Ford Fiesta Rally Car

The Rally Star Will Help Audi To Win At Dakar

Driving Audi's concept vehicles wasn't Ken Block's first experience in an electric mobile. In 2020, he clocked the third-fastest time in the final leg of the Dakar Rally using an electric prototype. In the same year, he took first place in the Projekt E rallycross series in Sweden. "Ken Block shares our love of performance," said Henrik Wenders, head of the Audi brand. "He is able to motivate the masses." "Electrification is a game-changer, just like the Quattro approach once was," said Julius Seebach, managing director of Audi Sport. "With Ken Block, we've got exciting things in store that go perfectly with our strategy."

Block's experience will be crucial for Audi when it returns to motor racing. His Gymkhana film series is already popular among motorsport enthusiasts on YouTube, and Ken has more than 14 million followers on his social media channels. The only thing to be determined is whether the Pro rally star will recreate Walter Rohrl's win in the 1987 Pikes Peak win or take Audi to victory at Dakar. As per Audi, Ken Block will be working exclusively with the company in its electric branch, starting immediately, and we suspect that there's a Gymkhana RS e-Tron GT in the works.

Source: Audi