Ken Block aligns with Audi
Renowned for his cinematic stunt driving montages, entrepreneur and Rally Driver, Ken Block has officially announced an alignment with Audi.
Sep 28, 2021
Ken Block has an affinity to New Zealand as a previous winner of the International Rally of Whangarei and has publicly expressed an appetite to return for future events
After concluding an eleven-year partnership with Ford Motor Company at the end of 2020, Ken Block became a free agent with numerous brands eager to collaborate with the driver. But at age 53, Block has seized the opportunity to finally represent the brand that ignited his passion for motorsport.
Electrifying addition to the brand with the four rings: Famous American Ken Block and Audi will be realizing exclusive joint projects in the field of electric mobility.
Ken Block has made a name for himself as a rally and rallycross driver since 2005, becoming the first American driver to score points in a WRC event and winning the International Rally of Whangarei, an event held in high regard by drivers around the world. However, the 53-year-old is undoubtedly most famous worldwide for his elaborately produced videos in which he drives high-performance vehicles to the limit at iconic locations.
He now looks forward to a new chapter in his career and admits the partnership with Audi closes a circle for Block: “Audi is the brand that ignited my passion for motorsport. I am extremely excited to start this new chapter. Together, we will develop innovative projects and push the boundaries of electric mobility.”
Ken Block was a teenager when the Audi quattro revolutionized the World Rally Championship and the Audi Sport quattro S1 stormed Pikes Peak in the USA in record time. These vehicles made Block dream of becoming a rally driver himself.
Now, during his first visit to Audi, another dream came true: the American was allowed to drive several historic race and rally cars from his favorite brand himself. These included the Audi Sport quattro S1, the Audi V8 quattro from the DTM and the futuristic Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo.
Of course, Ken Block didn’t miss the opportunity to test the most powerful electric vehicle currently in the AudiAG model range.
“The Audi RS e-tron GT really surprised me,” says Block. “The design is exquisite with great attention to detail and a perfect finish. The driving experience is amazing: the car is incredibly fast and handles very well. The center of gravity is very low so you can change direction quickly.”
Ken Block is considered as a “petrol head” because of his history. But the American is also re-evaluating and has recently been testing and racing various electric cars. He recorded the third fastest time in the final stage of the 2020 Dakar Rally with an electric prototype and won the inaugural race of the “Projekt E” rallycross series at Höljes (Sweden) in the same year.
“Electric mobility is the future”, says Block. “I see the electric car as a leap forward for us as a society in order to create something that can not only reduce emissions and hopefully make the planet a better place. But not only that: it’s also about performance. I love anything that makes me go faster. Electric cars can do that. And as far as sound goes, I have kids who don’t care about that. They think that the sound of electric cars is just as cool as the sound of internal combustion engines.”
Ken Block and Audi will be working together exclusively in the field of electric mobility with immediate effect. “Audi stands for ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’,” says Oliver Hoffmann, Board Member for Technical Development at Audi. “Every day we are trying to push boundaries to create the future of mobility. Our goal is to fascinate our customers with progressive design, innovative technology and a broad digital ecosystem. I am delighted that we were able to attract Ken Block and his team to Audi.”
“Ken Block shares our love of performance,” says Head of Audi Brand Henrik Wenders. “He has the ability to inspire people. With his progressive thinking, he will accompany us on our way into an electrifying future. Welcome to the team!”
“At Audi, motorsport is paving the way for future technologies,” says Julius Seebach, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH and responsible for motorsport at Audi. “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.”