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Tribute to the drifting legend who passed away in January Video shot in Mexico City shortly before the death of the US-American Electric Audi S1 Hoonitron with a special gimmick The death of drifting legend Ken Block shook the entire motorsport world at the beginning of January. The previously unreleased last episode of his famous drift videos is a tribute to the American. ‘Electrikhana 2’ was filmed with the Audi S1 Hoonitron in November 2022 – just a few weeks before the snowmobile accident in which Ken Block died at the age of 55. It was a matter close to the heart of the American’s family to complete and release the film in his memory. Ken Block’s fans can experience their idol one last time in breathtaking driving scenes and stunts with the Audi S1 Hoonitron. The all-electric prototype was developed by Audi Sport as a one-off exclusively for Ken Block. It has two electric motors, all-wheel drive, a total output of 500 kW, a carbon fiber chassis and the full safety standard of the highest motorsport authority, the FIA. Following the filming of the first Electrikhana episode in August 2022, the S1 Hoonitron was further developed in close collaboration with Ken Block. This included reducing weight, improving drivability and simulating gear changes. In the first episode, Ken Block drifted through Las Vegas with the Audi S1 Hoonitron. The spectacular video reached more than 100 million people worldwide via various channels. Electrikhana 2 was filmed in Mexico City. With 22 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area, the capital of Mexico is one of the largest cities in the world and offered the crew of the Hoonigan company, founded by Ken Block, fascinating locations – from the modern airport to a spiral-shaped parking garage.

Audi develops all-electric one-of-a-kind car for “Elektrikhana” video Legendary Audi Sport quattro S1 serves as the base for Audi designers Ken Block: “This project makes a dream come true for me” It instantly brings back memories of the legendary Audi Sport quattro S1 with which the four rings used to charge to the summit in the famous Pikes Peak Hill Climb event, aka the “Race To The Clouds:” Audi is presenting the Audi S1 e-tron quattro Hoonitron that has been exclusively and uniquely developed for American drift artist Ken Block. The all-electric one-of-a-kind car will be the protagonist in a new video that Block is producing together with his team for release in the next few months. “The S1 Hoonitron combines a lot of what Audi was already famous for in the nineteen-eighties,” says Ken Block, whose enthusiasm for Audi’s rally cars was sparked at an early age. “For instance, the car’s spectacular aerodynamics have now been translated into a totally modern form. I think it’s cool that the Audi designers have been inspired by their own past and uniquely transferred the car’s technologies and appearance into the present.” Two electric motors, all-wheel drive, power galore, a carbon fiber chassis, and the full safety standards as prescribed by motorsport’s top governing body, the FIA – these are merely the S1 Hoonitron’s statistics. In November, the driver got to know the car for the first time. “Audi gave me the opportunity to test it for a few days in Germany,” says Ken Block. “I’m familiar with a wide variety of cars using internal combustion engines and transmissions, but there were a lot of new things for me to learn here. Spinning into a donut at 150 km/h directly from standstill – just using my right foot – is an all-new experience for me. Our work was focused on getting the car and I used to each other. My thanks go to the whole Audi Sport squad for their outstanding teamwork.”

Experience history through vehicles from Audi’s historical collection, lectures at the Audi museum mobile, and events around the world From Aspen to Zwickau: Audi Tradition presents automotive treasures Audi Tradition is poised to participate in over a dozen international events in 2024 as the classic car season begins. Mainstays of the event calendar include the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England (July 11–14), two classic car rallies at Audi’s home sites – the Donau Classic (June 27–29) in and around Ingolstadt and the Heidelberg Historic (July 11–13) in Neckarsulm – as well as the Sachsen Classic in Dresden and Zwickau (August 15–17). For 2024, the Audi museum mobile, as always, has a varied program in store. In addition to special exhibitions on the history of aerodynamics, the museum of the brand with the four rings will continue its series of lectures and again take part in International Museum Day (May 19) and the Night of the Museums (September 7). For Audi Tradition, the 2024 event season kicks off early this winter: The Ice Race in late January in Zell am See, Austria, will be followed by the Bremen Classic Motorshow (February 2–4), where Audi Tradition will showcase a first-generation Audi RS 4 Avant at a joint booth with the Volkswagen Group brands. Visitors can head there for advice on spare parts for their classic cars. One weekend after the trade fair, Audi Tradition will be on the road in the Rockies and the Alps: An Audi 90 quattro IMSA-GTO and Michèle Mouton’s 1985 Audi Sport quattro S1 Pikes Peak will represent Audi Tradition at the Aspen Ice Race (February 8–10). The historic Histo-Monte winter rally will take place simultaneously, taking participants on the trail of the legendary Monte Carlo Rally. At the event, Walter Röhrl will pilot the Audi Sport quattro S1 E2, the original rally car he drove in the 1986 Monte Carlo Rally.

Swedish team EKS to receive factory backing Mattias Ekström in 2017 concurrently active again in DTM and FIA World RX AUDI AG will be providing factory support to Mattias Ekström’s rallycross project EKS starting in the 2017 season. As a result, Audi Sport, in addition to its commitments in Formula E and the DTM, will be competing in the FIA World Rallycross Championship (World RX) in the future as well. Long-standing Audi factory driver Mattias Ekström had formed EKS at the beginning of 2014, subsequently leading the squad to the top spot in the world rankings with great personal commitment within the space of only three years. In the 2016 season, EKS, with the Audi S1 EKS RX quattro, won both the drivers’ and the teams’ world championships against strong competition from Ford, Peugeot, Volkswagen and numerous privateer teams. “We realize that it’s going to be increasingly difficult for EKS to hold its own against the factory teams, so we chose to intensify our World RX commitment,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. Mattias Ekström feels that his dedication has proved him right: “We laid a lot of groundwork as a team in the first three years, gathered important experiences and set new standards with EKS. But it was also clear to us that we’d need support for the future in order to be able to continue on this level. That EKS is now receiving factory backing by Audi makes me very happy. I’m convinced that rallycross has a great future, also with respect to potential electrification.” While EKS already had access to Audi Sport suppliers and partners before, the further technical development of the all-wheel driven Audi S1 EKS RX quattro will now take place with support from the motorsport department of Audi. Alongside his factory-backed involvement in the FIA World Rallycross Championship, Mattias Ekström will be retained by Audi as a DTM driver as well. The Swede has extended his driver agreement, tackling his 17th DTM season in 2017.

Swede secures runner-up title with second place in season finale in Cape Town Team mate Andreas Bakkerud take third in World Championship standings Mattias Ekström: “We concluded this fantastic chapter with style today” In a captivating finale in South Africa, Audi driver Mattias Ekström secured once again the runner-up title in the World Rallycross Championship (World RX) at the wheel of the Audi S1 EKS RX quattro. The Swede also finished the final race of the season in Cape Town in second place behind World Champion Johan Kristoffersson (Volkswagen). 2016 World Champion, 2017 and 2018 World Championship runner-up: Mattias Ekström underlined his driving skills around the Killarney International Raceway. Despite starting the finale for the best six from the back row in his Audi S1 EKS RX quattro, he still fought his way up second place. During his stirring drive he overtook nine-time Rally World Champion Sébastien Loeb in a Peugeot on the opening lap. Shortly after, he also caught and passed two-time Rallycross World Champion in a Volkswagen. “We actually came to Cape Town to win the race,” said Ekström. “We were fast throughout the entire weekend, but somehow didn’t get into the right rhythm. In the finale things finally fell into place. Second is a fantastic result and a good end to a long season, in which Johan (Kristoffersson) was always a small step ahead. Even so, I’m extremely proud of the entire team: We extracted the maximum from our resources. It was also a fabulous year with Andreas (Bakkerud). We had a lot of fun together and have something to celebrate this evening.” After the four qualification races, Bakkerud was one place in front of Ekström and reduced the deficit to his team boss from four to three points. In the semi-final, the Norwegian was forced to park his Audi S1 EKS RX quattro early following a collision.

Three events on the same weekend kick off the new season Audi Tradition App shows events and exhibitions at a glance Audi Tradition kicks off the 2026 event season with three highlights on a single weekend: at the end of January, the Bremen Classic Motorshow, the F.A.T. Ice Race in Zell am See, and the Concours event “The I.C.E.” in St. Moritz are on the schedule. The Audi museum mobile in Ingolstadt, Germany, welcomes visitors to International Museum Day on May 17 and Night of the Museums on September 12. Regular updates and additional information on all events at which Audi Tradition showcases the history of the four rings and their historic brands are available in the Audi Tradition app. The Bremen Classic Motorshow (January 30–February 1) in Bremen, Germany, marks the start of this year's program: Audi Tradition will commemorate the premiere of the Audi A3 30 years ago and will offer guidance to visitors interested in spare parts for classics and modern classics from Audi. Nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen is set to turn laps in an Audi Sport quattro S1 E2 at “The I.C.E.” on January 30 and 31 in St. Moritz on the frozen Lake Moritz in Switzerland, and on Saturday, January 31, two-time German rally champion Harald Demuth will be driving an Audi quattro Rallye A2 at the F.A.T. Ice Race in Zell am See, Austria. Every year, motorsport fans from all over the world make the pilgrimage to the Festival of Speed in Goodwood, England – this year's event will take place from July 9 to 12, and Audi Tradition will once again be there to meet the fans. Things will also be sporting at the Eifel Rallye Festival (July 23-25) in Daun in the Vulkaneifel mountains of Germany. Furthermore, Audi Tradition will be bringing vehicles out of storage for the Heidelberg Historic (July 9-11) and the Donau Classic (July 17-18).

Exclusive event for customers and fans at Audi Forum Neckarsulm Exciting insights into four decades of Audi Sport GmbH Rolf Michl, Managing Director Audi Sport GmbH: “Proud past, even stronger future” Today marks the 40th anniversary of Audi Sport GmbH, which evolved from quattro GmbH. In early summer, Audi started the events to celebrate this anniversary in parallel with the Nürburgring 24 Hours and an exhibition at the Neckarsulm facility. Next Saturday (October 14), an exclusive event will be hosted at Audi Forum Neckarsulm with exciting insights into the high-performance subsidiary that has been successful for 40 years. quattro GmbH has existed since 1983, and in 2016, it was renamed as Audi Sport GmbH: Today, the wholly owned subsidiary of AUDI AG is shaping the sporty and exclusive image of the premium brand with the four rings even stronger than ever. “We look back proudly on the past 40 years and want to be even stronger in the future. To this end, we will selectively expand our model portfolio and our other service offerings together with AUDI AG. The sales records of recent years clearly underline our ambitions,” says Rolf Michl, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH. Strengthening ties with customers and fans through direct contact On October 14, 2023, the public can enjoy an exclusive event with an informative and entertaining program in and around Audi Forum Neckarsulm. Starting at 11 a.m., Audi Sport GmbH and AUDI AG will be represented openly and personally on the factory grounds of the Neckarsulm facility. The employees of the four rings are using the highlight of this anniversary year to provide customers and fans with comprehensive information, further strengthening the bond with them through direct contact.

Audi factory driver celebrates early title win at the Estering First World Championship title another highlight in an exceptional career Ekström: “Rallycross used to be too dirty for me” Mattias Ekström, on finishing fifth at the Estering, secured an early title win in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. To compete in the penultimate round of the 2016 season, the Swede had opted not to run in the DTM finale at Hockenheim, marking the first time for him to miss a race in his 16-year DTM career. “This may be the best day in my motorsport career,” says Ekström. “I’ve had so many sweet moments with Audi Sport in the DTM, but this here is really, really special. We started from scratch three years ago. In October 2013, there was nothing. Only few people can imagine what my team and I have built since then. Obviously, I owe a big debt of gratitude to my employer, Audi Sport. My bosses gave me permission to compete at the Estering in order to maximize my chances of winning the title. That couldn’t be taken for granted, and I’m very, very thankful for this. I hope that by clinching the big trophy, I was able to put a smile on their faces.” On clinching the title, Ekström proved once more that he is one of the world’s most complete race drivers. Since 2001, he has contested 177 DTM races for Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline, celebrating 22 victories and two titles (2004, 2007). This makes Ekström the most successful Audi DTM driver in history. His career has also seen the 38-year-old triumph in the Race of Champions on four occasions – once in the teams’ classification with Tom Kristensen (2005) and three times in the single classification (2006, 2007, 2009), which included beating the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher and others. In addition, his track record includes successes in the Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC), in the World Rally Championship as well as in the NASCAR and the Australian V8 Supercars series.