LIA BLOCK Returns to Rally for First Time This Year at Boone Forest Rally

June 25, 2025

by David Evans // from dirtfish.com

• LIA BLOCK is heading back to her rally roots at August’s Boone Forest Rally, marking her first competitive rally outing this year. The 18-year-old will pilot a Ford Fiesta Rally3 – the same car her mom LUCY previously campaigned – perfectly timed during her F1 Academy summer break between Montreal and Zandvoort. It’s a smart move that keeps her connected to the discipline where she made history as the youngest ever ARA National champion at just 16.
• Currently sitting 10th in F1 Academy standings with ART Grand Prix, BLOCK’s rally return isn’t about changing direction – it’s about staying sharp. Her career manager Derek Dauncey made it clear this is about gaining experience, not shifting focus, with Williams Racing backing the decision. Smart thinking, considering the razor-thin margins in F1 Academy where every bit of car control and racecraft matters, even if it comes from sliding through Kentucky forests instead of racing at Zandvoort.
• The Boone Forest Rally entry already looks stacked like a National round, with BLOCK set to face serious competition including Conner Martell in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. Co-driven by Rhianon Gelsomino, this will only be BLOCK’s third start in an all-wheel drive car, making it a proper test of her adaptability. After her last rally ended with an off-road excursion at Lake Superior Performance Rally, we’ll see if she can channel that championship-winning form that made her a rallying prodigy.

all-female f1 academy, american rally association, ford, rally3