LIA BLOCK’s Historic Win Stolen by Drive Belt Failure at Sno*Drift Rally

February 7, 2026

• LIA BLOCK was 100 meters from American rally history when her Ford Fiesta Rally3’s drive belt snapped before the Sno*Drift Rally finish line. The 19-year-old had commanded the Michigan event in her first-ever attempt at this specialized rally, moving to the lead when Travis Pastrana crashed with three stages remaining. Her victory would have made her the first woman to win an ARA National round and marked the first Rally3 win in series history.
• What followed was a masterclass in motorsport’s cruel bureaucracy. BLOCK pushed her stricken car toward the finish, received a competitor tow from Sean Donnelly, but spectators had to help her cross the stage 16 flying finish line. That outside assistance – the very human reaction to help someone so close to victory – became grounds for her complete exclusion under parc fermé rules, costing her what would have been third place after time penalties.
• The chaos didn’t end with BLOCK’s heartbreak. Initial winner Javier Castro was also excluded for his crew pushing his troubled Audi A1 through the final service control, handing victory to Mark Piatkowski. Even Travis Pastrana, who had co-driver RHIANON GELSOMINO alongside him, dropped from fourth to sixth after a five-minute penalty for leaving behind a warning triangle while stuck in snow on stage 14. Sometimes rally racing’s rulebook feels designed to punish human instinct.

ara national championship, blackford’s pre tt classic road races, ford fiesta rally3, sno*drift rally