Nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen honored Block with smokey donuts.
When Ken Block tragically lost his life on January 2, 2023, the motorsport world lost a legend. It was a loss that’s still being felt by many, as Block left an indelible mark on the car world as a whole. To honor Block’s incredible life and career, Audi brought his most recent Gymkhana car—the Audi S1 Hoonitron—to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it filled the iconic hillclimb in tire smoke.
Block was famous for his unrivaled ability to slide a car around in giant clouds of smoke. Thankfully, Audi brought along a driver skilled enough to pay a proper tribute to Block—nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen. Kristensen is no stranger to fast Audis, as he won Le Mans in the Audi R10 TDI and R18 e-tron Quattro LMP1, and he did his best Ken Block impression by doing a few donuts in front of the crowd.
The Audi S1 Hoonitron was Block’s most recent Gymkhana car, as he’d just partnered with Audi in 2022 to build it. It was his first electric Gymkhana car but was also a throwback to his favorite rally car, the Audi Sport Quattro S1. Its fully electric powertrain consists of two electric motors, one at each axle, that combine to make 670 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque. But it’s the instant torque delivery that makes the S1 a bit of a drift weapon, which Block proved with his Electrikhana video.
Block was no stranger to smokey displays of tire-shredding fun at the Goodwood hillclimb, either. Over the years, he drove his F-150 Hoonitruck, Ford Fiesta rally car, Ford RS200, and his Hoonicorn Mustang at Goodwood and stole the show each time. The world is still heartbroken over Block’s passing, as his life was even more impactful than his career, but this tribute allows us to remember the incredible moments he brought the motorsport world.
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