Audi signs Ken Block to its electric motorsport program

Internet sensation Ken Block is to become a key part of Audi's push towards electrification in motorsport – having announced he's signed up with the automaker to develop its next-generation racing cars.

Founder of DC Shoes, Hoonigan and star of the popular Gymkhana videos on YouTube, 53-year-old Block is set to join Ingolstadt's electric vehicle team.

“I love anything that makes me go faster. Electric cars can do that,” Block said.

While Audi has a storied history in rallying and motorsport in general, its next target is to compete in the famous Dakar Rally in 2022 with a hybrid electric vehicle, showing off its RS Q E-Tron challenger earlier this year.

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Although it's unclear as to what his exact role at Audi will be, the American said a move towards electrification is inevitable and won't come at the cost of performance.

"Electric mobility is the future", said Block.

"I see the electric car as a leap forward for us as a society in order to create something which can not only reduce emissions and hopefully make the planet a better place, but it's also about performance.

"And as far as sound goes, I have kids who don't care about that. They think the sound of [an] electric car is just as cool as the sound of internal combustion engines."

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Having first been associated with Subaru, Block was partnered with Ford for more than a decade from 2010 to 2021 until the two went their separate ways earlier this year – which saw the former World Rally Championship and World RX driver rejoin Subaru for the American Rally Association season.

Block's popularity will be key for Audi as it remerges into top-flight motorsport, with the Gymkhana film series amassing more than half a billion views on YouTube and Block enjoying nearly 14 million followers across his social media platforms.

Only time will tell whether Block can replicate Walter Rohrl's 1987 Pikes Peak win or take Audi to victory at Dakar.

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