2023 was off to a tragic start following the sudden and unexpected passing of Ken Block. To say it was a terrible way to start the year is an understatement. But while Ken is no longer with us, his legacy is felt worldwide, and the Block name continues in the world of rallying through his daughter, Lia.
Lia is Ken’s eldest daughter and has been around motorsport from a young age. It was only a matter of time before she expressed her desire to compete. You could say it’s in the genes as her mother, Lucy Block, is also a rally driver. We have no doubts that her parents let her go racing, and the rest, they say, is history.
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Now, Lia is forging her own destiny in motorsport. She was just 14 years old when she made her competition debut in the American Rally Association championship in 2021. She made one start that year, only retiring because of an engine problem.
The following year, she competed in all six rounds of the series, gaining valuable experience along the way. But 2023 is where it all came together for Lia. That’s because she is the ARA champion for the O2WD class. A second-place finish in the second round and four wins in a row helped her seal the title with two rallies to go. The car that brought her to first title was a Subaru BRZ.
Making her first title even more special is her co-driver, Rhianon Gelsomino. Gelsomino is a long-time rally co-driver and the husband of Ken Block’s trusted navigator, Alex Gelsomino. Both Rhianon and Alex have been involved with the Block family for nearly a decade and are a part of the family’s racing team, Block House Racing.
But aside from rallying in America, Lia Block also has her sights in finding success in international stages like her father. Earlier this year, she entered the Extreme E rallycross championship, rubbing shoulders and fenders among rally veterans such as Mattias Ekström, Tanner Foust, and the most successful World Rally Championship driver of all time, Sebastien Loeb.
So far, she has proven herself well in the series. So far, she has bag two top-five finishes in a row and consistently finishing in the points. An impressive feat given that she entered the series mid-season with not much experience with these electric rally raiders.
At the rate she’s going, she might just have a couple more trophies and titles with her name on it.
