Audi S1 Hoonitron on the Flüela Pass

Driving experiences in Davos Klosters

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Swiss car premiere on the Flüela Pass

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 he 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 the seat. The yawing momentum craves bends. And when there are no bends, the ‘Audi S1 Hoonitron’ simply drifts from a standing start. Ekström: ‘The power you feel from the very first moment is incredible. Together with the Quattro drive and the hydraulic handbrake on the rear axle, you can effortlessly negotiate even the tightest hairpin bends.’ A unique feature of the Hoonitron: at the touch of a button, it drives forwards just as fast as it reverses. The background noise is also unique. Apart from a loud whirring noise like that of an oversized hoover, nothing can be heard.

Racing driver Mattias Ekström with the Audi S1 Hoonitron on the Flüela Pass in Davos.

When there are no bends, the ‘Audi S1 Hoonitron’ simply drifts out of a standing start on the Flüela Pass in Davos.

Racing driver Mattias Ekström drives the Audi S1 Hoonitron to the limit on the Flüela Pass in Davos.

Homage to the rally cars of the 80s

However, the Hoonitron is not comfortable. All the bells and whistles have been omitted for the sake of performance. At least there is a windscreen wiper. But that's about it. The seating position is unusual for motorsport enthusiasts. This is partly due to the positioning of the battery, which in turn ensures an extremely low centre of gravity. Audi does not allow itself to look too deeply into the technical maps. This much can be revealed: two electric motors, 800 volts, all-wheel drive, an abundance of power, a carbon fibre chassis and full safety standards from the highest motorsport authority, the FIA - these are the vehicle's key data.

Extreme forces enable extreme drifts

It is also known that the electric 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 has been defined for the drifts. If you can do the maths, you 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 make spectacular drifts possible. And this at a wheel speed of more than 200 km/h. Even Michael Knight from the cult series ‘Knight Rider’ would have been envious, despite having activated ‘Super pursuit mode’.

The spirit of Ken Block lives on

This unique racing machine was actually intended to be driven by Ken Block. The news of his sudden accidental death in January 2023 stunned the motorsport world. The US American was the uncrowned king of rally cars. He was regarded as one of the best rally drivers in the world. His dream came true with the ‘Audi S1 e-tron quattro Hoonitron’ prototype developed especially for him. Together with Audi, Ken Block wanted to show that it is possible to have extreme driving pleasure and deliver top performance 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