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The German manufacturer has announced it's to work with Block on "exclusive joint projects in the field of electric mobility" It’s been all change for Ken Block this year. First off, he ditched his Ford partnership that had been running since 2010, going back to his old chums at Subaru. And apparently, one (no doubt lucrative) manufacturer contract wasn’t enough for the DC Shoe co-founder turned tyre torturer, as he’s just joined forces with Audi. Before you get excited about Ken’s next big video featuring a 1000bhp Sport quattro warbling away and spitting flames, we should let you know that the tie-up is solely focused on electric stuff. In the press release’s words, the plan is for Block and Audi to team up for “exclusive joint projects in the field of electric mobility.” And that’s as much detail as we get for now. As far as we know, none of this affects Block’s ARA (American Rally Association) campaign with Subaru, and we should imagine Gymkhana videos will continue to feature vehicles from the Japanese manufacturer. As a reminder, last time out Block handed over the Gymkhana reins to Travis Pastrana, who thrashed around his hometown of Annapolis in a mad, carbon fibre-bodied Subaru WRX STI with 850bhp. Block will, as far as we know, be back for Gymkhana 12, and probably not in an electric Audi. He might, however, have a crack at the Dakar Rally. Audi will take on the event with its new RS Q E-Tron (below), and Block would be a headline-grabbing driver to stick behind the wheel. He’s also a dab hand at that kind of driving, having set the third fastest time during his run on the final stage of the event last year in the Extreme E Odyssey 21 prototype. In 2021 he also won the first ever Projekt E rallycross series in Sweden. Although the partnership is about all things electric, Audi did kindly let Block loose in the legendary Audi Sport quattro S1 and a DTM V8 quattro, plus the electric E-Tron Vision Gran Turismo and an RS E-Tron GT. He was (inevitably) very complimentary about the E-Tron GT, saying that “The design is exquisite with great attention to detail and a perfect finish”. He added, “The driving experience is amazing: the car is incredibly fast and handles very well. The centre of gravity is very low so you can change direction quickly.” Audi Sport managing director Julius Seebach meanwhile had this to say about the new recruit: “Electrification is a game-changer, just like quattro drive once was. With Ken Block, we’ve got exciting things in store that go perfectly with our strategy.”

With the help of his Hoonigan squad, Ken Block is building an empire. After his Ford Escort RS Cosworth rally race car burned to the ground in 2018, Block unveiled a back-from-the-dead Escort version 2.0 this week, and he plans to take it on a world tour. Since he gained fame through his racing and his Gymkhana video series, Block has done nothing but expand his reach, grow his team, and built bigger and more ambitious projects. And when his modernized Escort RS Cosworth was incinerated, Block didn't really accept that, building this new Cossie and planning a Cossie World Tour. First, the car. It's an Escort RS Cosworth that's been given some of Michael Jordan's Secret Stuff. Block said he wanted it took look as if the Escort had come out today and was given to the World Rally team to be fitted with a full aero package. The exterior was designed by Ash Thorp, a graphic designer who has worked on movies such "Ghost in the Shell," "X-Men: First Class," "Prometheus" and "Assassin's Creed," to name a few (the car stuff is just his hobby). Thorp built numerous variations and modeled them with CGI on a computer. After several renderings, he and Block settled on the widebody beast seen here. In the video, Thorp explains the tiny details most people would never think about, such as matching the lines of the rear diffuser to the taillights. On top of the body, Cali-based Troy Lee expressed his creative mind with a livery that's just as wild as the car itself. It features gradients, stars, dark colors, light colors and gobs of decals. Compared to the previous Cossie livery, this one feels much more vibrant and lively with its multiple shades of blue. Watch both videos for more detail on how Block chose the Escort, how he helped build and design both cars, and what it's been like getting to know the car through racing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rxW_3ZAVHcKen Block's Gymkhana series still hasn't grown old for us, perhaps because it pleases the inner child we never quite managed to outgrow. But now the world has a new challenge: Supercar Gymkhana. In this case, it's Lambokhana, as Daily Driven Exotics' Damon Fryer takes this Gallardo out for a tire-punishing spin around a homemade gymkhana course. Is it as fast as Block's rally car? No. Are the props and stunts as off-the-charts mental? Nope. Are those moving donuts around a rolling tire awesome? You betcha. Bottom line: if you've ever wanted to see a Lamborghini getting thrown around in a gnarly industrial lot, powersliding its tires into oblivion, this is your video.

Rally icon Ken Block has teamed up with Barcelona FC and Brazilian national football-squad star, Neymar Jr, to create the Footkhana film. Based on the popular Gymkhana videos that were pioneered by Block, Neymar Jr's skills and focus are put to the test as Block guides his Ford Fiesta rally car around the footballer in a series of sideways manoeuvres and tyre smoke. Meanwhile, Block matches the Brazilian star's precision by saving and scoring a number of goals with his Fiesta. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdBXpORSGu0 Freestyle footballers Andrew Henderson, Sean Garnier and Lassi Hurskainen also teamed up with the pairing to demonstrate their skills under the guidance of double FIFA World Cup winner, Cafu. "It has been amazing to work with Ken Block and the other freestylers," said Neymar Jr. "I can’t wait for football fans to see our freestyle tricks in action as we go head-to-head against Ken and his car. Block was equally as enthusiastic about the outing and commented: "I know my fans are going to enjoy this Footkhana film since it's a spin on my Gymkhana series, integrating some of the best freestyle football players in the world.”

Ken Block has an all-new project: his Ford F-150 RaptorTRAX, the ultimate backcountry snowboard expedition vehicle. Block's RaptorTRAX also happens to be the world's fastest snowcat for backcountry snowboarding and will star in an upcoming video to be released Winter 2014/15. "This project is something I've had in my head for awhile now," said Block. "I absolutely love my daily driver Ford Raptor, especially since I live out here in the mountains of Park City, so to build out this mountain assault vehicle with a Raptor as the base platform made total sense to me. It's an absolute beast of a machine and I'm stoked with how it's turned out. Next up is for me to take it deep into the backcountry ASAP to help me and some friends slay some powder on our snowboards for a video project due out later this year." Built from a Ford Racing prepared F-150 Raptor pickup truck and further enhanced by Special Vehicle Concepts in California, the truck features snowboard racks, a roof basket, a rear-mounted winch, interior storage for snacks and drinks, an exterior stereo setup for blasting music on-site and plenty of exterior-mounted Rigid Industries lighting to help guide the way, the RaptorTRAX is purpose-built to be the best tool possible for reaching serious backcountry powder. It’s not the first time Ken would be pulling out a snow stunt. A similar show was put up way back in 2009 when he joined hands with Subaru to make the world’s fastest cat track operation for snowboarding. In addition to the things that help make it the best for a day of riding, the RaptorTRAX has performance to back up the looks. Featuring a Whipple supercharged 6.2L V8, a full roll cage, Recaro seating and four burly Mattracks, there's not much that can stand in its way on the mountain.

You are familiar with Ken Block's gymkhana videos where he usually wrecks tarmac in his Subaru. This time round, Monster has another video - which is equally impressive. A 850bhp Trophy Truck with 34-inches of suspension destroys the topsoil of the Mojave Desert at 241km/h an hour. Driven by 'Ballistic' BJ Baldwin, the rear-wheel driven truck sits on an NSP-1 chassis and is powered by a large 7.5-litre Chevrolet V8 engine developing 935Nm of torque with a fuel consumption of 75.8 litres per 100 km. Filmed by Tempt Media this off-road adventure would complement any Fast and Furious series with a jaw dropping moment at one point. Ok enough talk, more action!

If you like Ken Block's series of Gymkhana videos, then you'll definitely want to check out Vaughn Gittin Jr's latest flick featuring his Formula Drift Mustang. .Gittin was recently visiting Saudi Arabia to perform a drifting demo at an event at the Al Reem Circuit, and he decided to stick around for an extra few days to get footage of him drifting on track. The result? Awesome. Vaughn Gittin Jr. is one of drifting