Ken Block signs up with Audi

Ken Block has officially signed with Audi, the brand he says originally fuelled his desire to go racing.

Yes, you heard it right. The human smoke machine, and star of some of the coolest high-performance Gymkhana videos you’re ever likely to see, has left his wild 682kW Ford F-150 Hoonitruck behind and will now start getting crazy in Audi’s latest electric cars.

Word is he might even be preparing to pilot the Audi RS Q e-tron in the 2022 Dakar Rally.

In welcoming the rally legend and self-proclaimed ‘hoonigan’ to the four-ringed brand, Audi has already let Block loose on several high-performance models including a DTM race car, S1 quattro and even the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo.

The 53-year-old also got behind the wheel of the most powerful EV in the current Audi line-up, the Audi RS e-tron GT, which he later described as “really surprising”.

Alas, there’s no footage yet of what “really surprising” means in Block-speak.

“The driving experience is amazing: the car is incredibly fast and handles very well. The centre of gravity is very low so can change direction quickly,” he said.

There’s little detail on what exactly Block’s collaboration with Audi will entail, with the German manufacturer only revealing that he will be tasked with accompanying the car-maker on its way to an “electrifying future”.

“At Audi, motorsport is paving the way for future technologies,” said Audi Sport boss Julius Seebach.

“Electrification is a game changer, just like quattro drive once was. With Ken Block, we’ve got exciting things in store that go perfectly with our strategy.”

That gives rise to speculation that he’ll hit next year’s Dakar Rally with the recently revealed RS Q e-tron.

Last year, Block recorded the third-fastest time in the final stage of the 2020 Dakar Rally in an electric Extreme E prototype. That was his first time driving an electric race car. 

He then went on to win the inaugural race of the ‘Projekt E’ rallycross series in Sweden.

Earlier this year, Block said he was preparing to return to the Subaru Rally Team USA after an 11-year partnership between Hoonigan Racing Division and Ford Performance came to an end.

But now a “new chapter” has begun.

“Audi is the brand that ignited my passion for motorsport. I am extremely excited to start this new chapter,” Block said of the partnership with Audi.

“Together, we will develop innovative projects and push the boundaries of electric mobility.”

Block says he doesn’t care about the lack of aural sensation in an EV – he just wants to go fast!

“I love anything that makes me go faster. Electric cars can do that,” he said. “And as far as sound goes, I have kids who don’t care about that. They think the sound of electric cars is just as cool as the sound of internal combustion engines.”