Passing of a legend

Larger than life and in a class all of his own, the world mourns the passing of Ken Block after he was killed in a tragic accident on January 2. A tremendously talented rally driver, automotive pioneer and successful businessman, Block was considered by many to be the ultimate automotive showman, his videos fusing unbelievable car control with spectacular locations and stunts viewed by millions worldwide and made his ‘Hoonitron’ brand revered in the world of extreme sports.

No stranger to extreme sports, it was behind the wheel that Block truly excelled. He experienced success as a professional rally driver at the highest level as well as competing in world rallycross and X Games, but it was his unique gymkhana videos that marked him as something very special and brought his tremendous talents to a vast international audience.

From the streets of San Francisco and London, to Pikes Peak to most recently, Las Vegas, his exploits behind the wheel have become the stuff of legend with tens of millions of fans devouring each new chapter as soon as it was released.

In 2001 Ken Block and Audi announced a collaboration to explore ‘joint projects in the field of electric mobility’ and the first fruits of that venture materialised just two months ago in the worldwide release of the film Electrikhana.

An unabashed Audi fan, Block said at the time of the joint venture announcement that the Audi rally cars of the 1980s had been one of the main influences on his passion for motorsport. The fact that the Audi S1 Hoonitron, developed for Block by Audi, was based on the Audi Sport S1 Pikes Peak – one of his favourite cars – was no mistake.

His passing in a tragic accident at just 55-years-old was news that shocked not only the automotive world but his many millions of fans around the globe.

“We are saddened by this news and extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” said Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board for Technical Development at AUDI AG. “Ken was a pioneer and in recent years also a member of the Audi family. He was valued and warmly welcomed by all. We have lost a great person and respected sportsman, who will always have his place in the history of Audi Sport.”