Drift king Ken Block recently passed away unexpectedly. However, his legacy and his "Audi S1 Hoonitron" live on: racing driver Mattias Ekström showed what is possible with this unique racing machine on the closed Flüela Pass in Davos. Man and technology at the limit.
As if it were on the run, the racing machine shoots up the snow-covered pass road. And leaves a cloud of ice crystals and snow behind it. No wonder: The sheer unbridled power pushes rally driver Matthias Ekström into his seat. The yaw moment craves curves. And if there are no curves, the "Audi S1 Hoonitron" simply drifts from a standstill. Ekström: "The power that you feel from the very first moment is incredible. Together with the Quattro drive and the hydraulic handbrake on the rear axle, you can easily get through even the tightest hairpin bends." What is unique about the Hoonitron is that at the push of a button it moves forwards as quickly as it does backwards. The background noise is also unique. Because apart from a loud whirring sound like that of an oversized vacuum cleaner, you can't hear anything at all.
The Hoonitron is not comfortable, however. All the bells and whistles have been dispensed with for the sake of performance. At least there is a windshield wiper. But that's about it. The seating position is unusual for those not familiar with motorsport. This is due, among other things, to the positioning of the battery, which in turn ensures an extremely low center of gravity. Audi is not revealing too much about the technology. This much can be revealed: two electric motors, 800 volts of voltage, all-wheel drive, power in abundance, a carbon fiber chassis and full safety standards from the highest motorsport authority, the FIA - these are the key data of the vehicle.
It is also known that the electrical power distribution between the front and rear axles is fully variable. And that the electric motors reach maximum speeds of 28,000 rpm, which is why a gear ratio of around 12:1 was defined for the drifts. Anyone who can do the math will come to the conclusion that around 3000 Nm of torque is at work per axle. These extreme forces in combination with the short overhangs enable spectacular drifts. And this at a wheel speed of more than 200 km/h. Even Michael Knight from the cult series "Knight Rider" would have been jealous, despite having activated "Super pursuit mode".
This unique racing machine was actually supposed to be driven by Ken Block. The news of his sudden accidental death in January 2023 stunned the motorsport world. The American was the uncrowned king of sideways cars. He was considered one of the best rally drivers in the world. With the "Audi S1 e-tron quattro Hoonitron" prototype developed especially for him, his dream came true. Ken Block wanted to show together with Audi that you can have extreme driving fun and deliver top performance even with a purely electric drive. This vision has now been revived under the motto "Racing for Ken Block" on the Flüela Pass in Davos, as the new video shows.