Ken Block is back for one final chapter of Gymkhana, the series that started out as a video of him behind the wheel of a Subaru Impreza WRX STI practicing for rally racing, which he just so happened to upload to the Internet.
The latest installment is “Electrikhana 2: The Mexico City Sessions,” which sees the late rally driver and co-founder of DC Shoes back behind the wheel of his fully electric Audi S1 E-Tron Quattro Hoonitron. It was filmed in November of 2022, just two months before Block’s death in a snowmobile accident.
It was filmed in Mexico City, and as also suggested by the name, is the second Electrikhana video of the wider Gymkhana series which has grown over the years to also include Climbkhana and Terrakhana installments. The first was released in 2022 and saw Block tear up the streets of Las Vegas in the same Audi electric racer.
Block had the car upgraded for its second outing in front of the cameras. Power from the dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain registers at 680 hp, which is lower than some of Block’s gas-powered rides used in the Gymkhana series but still a lot to handle due to the way that power is delivered.
Block discovered while filming the original Electrikhana video that the S1 E-Tron Quattro Hoonitron would go from 15 mph to over 120 mph of wheel speed in an instant, and with just a slight jab of the throttle.
To counter this, Block had Audi engineers add a feature that simulates gears, and which he can control using paddle shifters, similar to what Hyundai has introduced in its 2024 Ioniq 5 N. It works via software control of the electric motors, and allows for more controlled slides and donuts.
Block also had Audi engineers install a system that would enable him to directly control what the motors are doing. For example, the system allows for opposite-driven wheels for a standing all-wheel-drive burnout, and instant switching from all-wheel to rear-wheel-drive modes—as well as the ability to shift into reverse at any speed.
