Lia Block Explained

Lia Block
Nationality: United States
Birth Date:1 October 2006
Birth Place:Park City, Utah, United States
Related To:Ken Block (father)
Current Series:F1 Academy
First Year:2024
Current Team:ART Grand Prix
Car Number:57
Starts:10
Year:2024
Prev Series:
Prev Series Years:

Lia Block (born October 1, 2006) is an American racing driver currently competing in F1 Academy for ART Grand Prix. She previously competed for Block House Racing in the American Rally Association and Carl Cox Motorsport in Extreme E.[1] [2] She also competed in Nitrocross in the 2023–24 season for OSME.[3] She has been a member of the Williams Driver Academy since November 2023.[4]

Career

American Rally Association

Lia Block made her American Rally Association debut in the 2021 Oregon Trail Rally.[5] She then competed full-time for the 2022 season.[6]

Block competed in the 2023 American Rally Association season in the Open 2WD (O2WD) class.[7] She became the youngest champion in the series' history.[8]

On October 1, 2024, it was announced that Block would be competing in the 2024 Lake Superior Performance Rally, taking over Brandon Semenuk's Subaru WRX.[9]

Extreme E

On July 3, 2023, Carl Cox Motorsport announced that they had signed Block for the remainder of the 2023 Extreme E season, partnering Timo Scheider and replacing Christine GZ.

Nitrocross

On June 14, 2023, it was announced that Block would join OSME for the 2023–24 Nitrocross Championship. After achieving a fourth-place finish in the first round, she won her second race on the road, but was later disqualified due to an unsafe rejoin in the early stages of the race.[10] Block drove Travis Pastrana's Group E car in the seventh race of the championship, becoming the first female driver to compete in the category.[11]

In 2024, Block returned to Group E for the first round of the championship, competing for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, where she achieved two 6th place finishes.[12]

F1 Academy

In November 2023, Block was announced as a driver for ART Grand Prix for the 2024 season of F1 Academy in her first full season of open-wheel racing. She is supported by Williams Racing and joined the Williams Driver Academy. She is partnering McLaren developmental driver Bianca Bustamante and Ferrari Driver Academy driver Aurelia Nobels running for Puma.She debuted in Jeddah, qualifying in seventh for race one and in thirteenth for race two. She spun and hit the wall on the penultimate lap of race one and was classified in sixteenth place. In race two she made unavoidable contact with Lola Lovinfosse and was forced to pit. She crossed the line in ninth position but was classified in eleventh after post-race penalties.[13] Round two in Miami was a home race for Block. She spun in race one and ended in 15th. Race two was a closer fight, as she was classified 11th but moved up to 10th for post-race penalties, thus scoring her first point in F1 Academy.[14] The next round in Barcelona saw her continue her point scoring streak, converting two top-10 starting positions into a 10th place and 6th place, respectively.[15]

Personal life

Block is the daughter of the American rally driver Ken Block, who died in a snowmobile accident on January 2, 2023.[16] [17]

Racing record

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2021American Rally Association - 2WDHoonigan Racing Division10N/AN/A00NC
2022American Rally Association - 2WDHoonigan Racing Division60N/AN/A2495th
2022-23Nitrocross Championship - SXS40N/AN/A01408th
2023American Rally Association - O2WDBlock House Racing54N/AN/A51141st
American Rally Association - O4WD10N/AN/A00NC
Extreme E ChampionshipCarl Cox Motorsport60N/AN/A02714th
2023–24Nitrocross Championship - NEXTOMSE70N/AN/A33276th
Nitrocross Championship - Group EVermont SportsCar10N/AN/A03219th
2024Formula Winter SeriesGRS Team80000045th
F4 Spanish Championship60000036th
F1 AcademyART Grand Prix11000044*8th*
Italian F4 Championship30000049th
2024–25Nitrocross Championship - Group EDreyer & Reinbold Racing Dodge40N/AN/A0114*8th*
* Season still in progress.

Complete American Rally Association results

(key) (small number denotes the finishing position)

YearTeamCarClass123456789Points
2021Hoonigan Racing DivisionFord Fiesta R22WDSno*DriftRally in the 100 Acre WoodOlympus Rally
Southern Ohio Forrest RallyNew England Forrest RallyOjibwe Forests RallyLSPROregon Trail Rally
NC0
2022Ford Fiesta R2T2WDSno*DriftRally in the 100 Acre Wood
Olympus Rally
Oregon Trail Rally
Southern Ohio Forrest Rally
New England Forrest RallyOjibwe Forests RallySusquehannock Trail Rally
LSPR
5th49
2023Block House RacingSubaru BRZ (ZC6)O2WDSno*DriftRally in the 100 Acre Wood
Olympus Rally
Oregon Trail Rally
Southern Ohio Forrest Rally
New England Forrest Rally
Ojibwe Forests RallyLSPR1st114
Ford Escort RS CosworthO4WDSno*DriftRally in the 100 Acre WoodOlympus RallyOregon Trail RallySouthern Ohio Forrest RallyNew England Forrest RallyOjibwe Forests RallyLSPR
NC0
2024Subaru Motorsports USASubaru WRX (VB)O4WDSno*DriftRally in the 100 Acre WoodOlympus RallyOregon Trail RallySouthern Ohio Forrest RallyOjibwe Forests RallyOvermountain Rally TennesseeLake Superior Performance Rally
Source:[18]

Complete Extreme E results

(key)

Complete Nitrocross results

Complete Nitrocross NEXT results

(key)

Complete Nitrocross Group E results

(key)

YearTeamCar12345678910Points
2023–24Vermont
SportsCar
Olsbergs MSE
FC1-X
MID1UMC1UMC2WHP1WHP2HLN1HLN2
STALAS1LAS219th32
2024-25Dreyer & Reinbold Racing DodgeDodge Hornet R/T FC1-XRIC1
6
RIC2
6
UMC1
9
UMC2
5
FMP1
FMP2
MIA1
MIA2
LAS1
LAS2
8th*114*

Complete Formula Winter Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

* Season still in progress

Complete F1 Academy results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete F4 Spanish Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Perkins . Chris . Lia Block Just Won Her First Rally Championship . Road & Track . November 14, 2023 . October 10, 2023.
  2. Web site: Barry . Luke . Lia Block joins Extreme E grid . DirtFish . November 14, 2023 . July 3, 2023.
  3. Web site: Wilde . Dominik . Lia Block to take next step in rallycross career. . June 14, 2023.
  4. Web site: Lia Block to drive for Williams Racing in F1 Academy . November 14, 2023 . November 14, 2023 . Williams Racing.
  5. Web site: Roepke . Michele . 2021-11-09 . Ken Block's daughter, Lia, joins the family business, car racing . 2024-10-01 . TownLift, Park City News . en-US.
  6. Web site: Beckford . Andrew . 2022-03-20 . Ken Block and His Family Are Competing in Same Rally Championship This Year . 2024-10-01 . The Drive . en-US.
  7. Web site: Bell . Sebastien . Lia Block To Race Subaru BRZ With Camo Inspired By Her Dad’s First Race Livery . Carscoops . November 15, 2023 . March 16, 2023.
  8. Web site: Brownell . Bradley . Lia Block Is A Rally Champion . Jalopnik . November 15, 2023 . en . October 10, 2023.
  9. Web site: Evans . David . 2024-10-01 . Block joins Subaru for ARA season finale . 2024-10-01 . DirtFish . en-US.
  10. Web site: Wilde . Dominik . Lia Block to race in Extreme E . Racer . November 15, 2023.
  11. Web site: Evans . David . 2023-12-09 . Block makes history as first female Group E racer . 2024-10-01 . DirtFish . en-US.
  12. Web site: Rampersaud . Tyler . 2024-09-09 . Lia Block Will Drive A 1,000HP Dodge Hornet Race Car In Nitrocross . 2024-10-01 . duPont REGISTRY News . en-US.
  13. Web site: Lia Block’s Jeddah Weekend Recap: It’s all a learning curve . F1® Academy . March 12, 2024 . en . March 11, 2024.
  14. Web site: Academy Report: Block gets off the mark in Miami . 2024-07-12 . Williams Racing . en.
  15. Web site: Round 3 in Review: Leading protagonists emerge and glory on home turf . 2024-07-12 . F1® Academy . en.
  16. News: Engle . Greg . Lia Block, Daughter Of Ken Block, Following Path Her Dad Started Into Extreme E . February 12, 2024 . July 3, 2023.
  17. News: White . Emmet . Ken Block, Car Culture Luminary, Honored By Enthusiast World . May 1, 2024 . AutoWeek . January 3, 2023.
  18. Web site: Lia Block - eWRC-results.com . eWRC-results.com . November 15, 2023 . en.