‘Electrikhana’: Shredding Down the Las Vegas Strip in an Audi S1 EV

Ken Block ripped through a closed-down Las Vegas Strip in his one-of-a-kind Audi S1 EV—named the Hoonitron—for his new installment of Gymkhana, dubbed Electrikhana. Maybe you’ve seen some of the tire-meltingly radical Gymkhana videos of Block, race car driver and head Hoonigan, masterfully manipulating different high-powered vehicles through labyrinthian courses in cool locales. The 10 films, which have amassed over a billion views, just got topped this week before the upcoming opening of SEMA (Specialty Equiment Market Association) through the streets of the City That Never Sleeps.

Past Gymkhana vehicles have included high-powered, special-built cars. Racers like a Subaru Impreza WRX STi, Ford Fiesta HFHV, Ford Mustang Hoonicorn, and Ford F-150 Hoonitruck were featured. The goal of the flicks is to highlight Block performing a stylized, heightened-for-film “gymkhana.” In the auto racing world, that’s where a driver navigates a predetermined course, showing off many different driving techniques. In Block’s case. that means lots and lots of burnouts and drifting and other maneuvers that end up shredding tires.

For this year, his new sponsor, Audi, decided to make him a special electric car just for the show.

“While I may love the sound of a turbo engine, or the grunt of a V8, we have done that all before,” said Block. “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 to flawless high-speed 360s to four-wheel smoking launches, this Hoonitron is an all-new experience. The final tire-killing center axis donuts reached wheel speed of over 140kph and created G forces I’ve never experienced before in any racecar.”