HOONIGAN ELECTRIKHANA: KEN BLOCK’S ICONIC GYMKHANA FILM SERIES GOES ALL-ELECTRIC IN LAS VEGAS WITH AUDI
Head-Hoonigan-in-Charge Ken Block Wheels the One-of-One All-Electric Prototype Audi S1 “Hoonitron”
Under the Neon Lights of Las Vegas, Ushering in the Newest Era of Gymkhana Films
COMPTON, California, October 25, 2022 – After a billion total views across 10 wildly successful Gymkhana Films, setting the current bar for automotive action movies, Ken Block is back with a new partner to launch the future of his acclaimed viral series. Driving an entirely bespoke machine developed and built by Audi, Ken Block is electrifying Gymkhana in the first ever Electrikhana! To provide the perfect setting for the Audi S1 Hoonitron’s tire-slaying debut, Hoonigan Media Machine shut down one of the busiest cities in the world: LAS VEGAS. Visit www.YouTube.com/thehoonigans to check out the debut of Electrikhana on October 25th at 6:00am PST.
“Over the past decade, we have continually pushed to do something new and different with my Gymkhanaseries,” says Ken Block. “When Audi approached us with the idea of doing a film in a special electric vehicle, that they would construct solely for the film, we jumped at the challenge. While I may love the sound of a turbo engine, or the grunt of a V8, we have done that all before. The instant torque and shiftless nature of an electric motor allowed for us to push certain tricks to a whole new realm. From extremely exaggerated backward entries or flawless high speed 360s and four-wheel smoking launches, this Hoonitron is an all-new experience in our Gymkhana world. The final, tire-killing, center axis donuts reached wheel speed of over 140kph, and created G forces I have never experienced before in any racecar.”
The concept work of the Hoonitron began in March 2021 at Audi Sport in Neckarsulm, Germany. A team of Audi’s best engineers and designers thrashed to turn a concept into reality in just nine months. Modernizing design cues from the legendary Audi quattro S1 E2 Pikes Peak rally car, and adding e-tron performance developed for Formula E racing, Audi created the first ever factory-built Gymkhana machine. The all-wheel-drive, bi-motor coupe is a torque monster generating over 6,000 newton-meters of torque at the wheels. A number that resulted in killing three times the number of Toyo Tires than typical during filming. Again, this beast does things others just can’t.
Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board for Technical Development at AUDI AG says: “With the S1 Hoonitron we broke entirely new ground at Audi. Developing a fully electric prototype for the unique requirements of our partner Ken Block was a big and exciting challenge to which the whole team rose with flying colors. It is great to see how ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ is presented in an all-new environment. After seeing the Electrikhana film, all I can say is Well done everyone and thank you very much for having us involved in this truly exceptional project.”
The neon glow, casino bulb flicker and radiating vibrance of Sin City after hours set an iconic scene for the first installment of Electrikhana. And the unprecedented access to multiple Casinos, the Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Experience make this one of the most technically ambitious films for the Hoonigan crew.
“Vegas is such a unique place, it’s literally pulsing with energy at night, and that’s what we wanted to capture by going there, “says Electrikhana Director Brian Scotto. “It’s still shocking to me the level of access we pulled off. We locked down The Strip for HOURS. I haven’t had that ‘Can’t believe they are gonna let us do this’ feeling since Gymkhana FIVE in San Francisco.”
Las Vegas, Nevada, while known for its excess and bright lights that can be seen from space, is actually a national leader in environmental sustainability utilizing massive solar fields and hydro power from the Hoover Dam to help keep the city illuminated.
The entire series, featuring the past 10 videos, can be seen here Gymkhana.
Other partners supporting the project include Toyo Tires, FCP Euro, Rotiform, Monster Energy and CSR2 Racing.
About Hoonigan
Hoonigan is much more than a brand. It”s an automotive subculture, fueled on the shared passion of going fast and breaking things… then rebuilding them better than before. The company”s signature brand of vehicular savagery is on full display across their network of YouTube channels, serving daily content to a subscription base numbering in the millions. In addition to daily videos and social media content, Hoonigan has long been the production and marketing outfit behind Ken Block”s award-winning series of viral videos such as Gymkhana, Climbkhana, and Terrakhana. At the heart of it all, however, is a wide-ranging apparel collection that (along with an authentically automotive obsessed cast of characters) represents the brand’s core ethos: Having fun with cars.
About Ken Block
Ken Block’s rally career began in 2005. His skill and car control became quickly apparent and Block aptly nabbed Rookie of the Year that season in the Rally America Championship. Since then, Block has also won 25+ national level rallies around the globe, scored points in the WRC, and accumulated five X Games medals… including winning silver on three wheels at X Games in LA in 2012 (behind 9-time WRC champ Sebastien Loeb). In addition to his performance in the car, Block has been a driving force in shedding light on the sport of rally within the United States. His keen branding and marketing acumen, combined with his talents and skills behind the wheel, has also allowed Block to achieve global fame as a rally driver through his wildly successful Gymkhana series of videos. A franchise which has garnered over 600 million views on Youtube alone. Adding Climbkhana and Terrakhana to the franchises of videos in recent years, Block’s media properties continue to bring in new fans.
