Ken Block's final Gymkhana video has finally been released: a year after it was filmed, in November 2022, and just over 11 months after Block sadly passed away in a snowmobile accident, on January 2.
The second instalment of the Electrikhana series, featuring the Audi S1 Hoonitron, is a follow-up to the previous episode in Las Vegas.
The location for the new film is Mexico City. Indeed, it's as much a character in the video as Block himself or the Audi; the action takes place around some of the most iconic parts of the City.
Block launches the Hoonitron out of the world's largest bullring: Plaza de Toros. From there, it's through important areas of the city, with tricks around the Museo Soumaya, a clincher moment with a slide past JUCA (one of Mexico's biggest automotive content creators), and ending with a session in and around the Benito Juárez International Airport.
Following Las Vegas, the Audi Sport engineering team worked with Block to modify the car's drivetrain to better serve his driving style for the new film.
One of the biggest improvements comes from the "simulated gears" feature: giving the car a sort of digital gearbox by programming multiple levels of wheel speed on the electric motors, controlled with a paddle shifter. Allowing for much more controlled slides and precise donuts, this was a major development over the car's form in the previous Electrikhana film; where a small jab of the throttle meant a jump from 25km/h to nearly 200km/h of wheel speed. Instantly.
Additionally, Block wanted to explore all-new driving features made possible with an EV drivetrain: such as opposite-driven wheels for a standing AWD burnout, instant switching from all-wheel to rear-wheel drive, "differential" tuning to influence chassis balance, as well as the ability to shift into reverse at any speed. Each of these features are put to the test in the new film.
And check out the end credits, which pay tribute to the previous Gymkhana films and serve as a tyre-smoking farewell to the man who helped make car videos viral.