Rally legend Ken Block definitely had the love for controlled adrenaline rush flowing in his veins. The flow was so strong that even his daughter Lia is already a professional rally driver. In fact, she is now aching to race in the American Rally Association championship this year. Interestingly, her Subaru BRZ rally car reminds us of the very first livery that her father used.
It has been more than two months since Ken Block passed away due to a freak accident. He was driving a snowmobile in early January 2023 when the vehicle upended and landed on top of the rally great. People around the world mourned over his demise, but perhaps those most affected with his passing were his family.
Ken’s family, however, is trying to move on by continuing their lives in the sporting world while continuing his rallying legacy. In particular, Lia is now driving a new Subaru BRZ instead of a Ford Fiesta for her rally campaign. Interestingly, her new drive looks a lot like Ken’s Subaru WRX STI rally car in 2005.
Ken Block And His First Rally Car Livery
Even before becoming famous and legendary for his Gymkhana series, the co-owner and "Head Hoonigan In Charge" of Hoonigan Industries, Ken Block was already taking part in rallies. He started his rallying career with the Vermont Sports Car team, with Subaru as sponsor. In his first race of being a pro-rally driver, Ken drove a 2005 Subaru WRX STi that the Vermont Sports Car team wrapped in Snow Camo livery. After all, Block competed in the snowy Sno*Drift rally racing event.
Ken’s 2005 Subaru WRX STi rally racer wears a camouflage meant for snowy surroundings – white, gray, and light gray. It prominently features the gold logo of DC Shoes, of which Ken was one of the founders. The rally car had large gold DC logos on the sides (along with Ken’s race number) and a couple of smaller emblems on the fender, front bumper, side mirror, and on the massive rear wing. The car also rode on golden wheels.
His rookie year was a huge success. In the 2005 season, Block had five top five finishes and placed third overall in the Group A class. He also placed fourth overall in the Rally America National Championship and won the Rally America Rookie of the Year award. Interestingly, Ken also used the snow camo livery when he took part in the Gumball 3000 in that year. He drove the same 2005 Subaru WRX STi – with a different livery – to the very first Gymkhana. Ken then continued the Gymkhana series to the limits.
Lia Block Steps Up To The 2023 Rally Challenge
Travis Pastrana has already taken over Gymkhana, and for the series’ fans, Ken’s go-to-guy did a great job in making it equally adrenaline-rushing. As for Lia, she has been driving on various rally events since 2021. She had her first rally race under the Hoonigan Racing Division behind the wheels of a Ford Fiesta R2 (#857) at the Cooper Tire Oregon Trail Rally.
In 2022, Lia raced six times in a Ford Fiesta R2T (#857). While she scored no wins, she grabbed 14 points and finished her class at fifth. All races in this year were under the Hoonigan Racing Division.
But nearly three months since her father’s death, Lia announced a return to the American rally scene. This time, the 16-year-old racer is driving a Subaru BRZ (ZC6) under the Block House Racing team. She is still bearing the same number, but with more rally experience on her side. This is quite a change for Lia, though, since the Subaru BRZ she is driving is a rear-wheel drive model, unlike the front-wheel-drive Ford Fiestas that she had driven in the previous seasons.
Lia Block Rallies With Subaru BRZ In Snow Camo
A few days before Lia resumed her racing duties, she unveiled a new rally car wrapped in a very familiar livery. Her #857 Subaru BRZ made headlines, and it came into public view through Lia’s Instagram account. After all, the Lia’s Subaru BRZ is wearing a snow camo livery similar to the one that her father’s WRX STi wore nearly two decades ago.
Lia’s Subaru BRZ, however, has ditched the DC Shoes logo found on Ken’s WRX STi. This is because Ken had long exited from DC Shoes, launching the Hoonigan Industries as his very own outfit. As Hoonigan continues to exist even after Ken’s demise, its logo has replaced that of DC Shoes. Several gold ‘H’ letters do the exterior of the BRZ, including two large ones on the side. The logo or names of other sponsors are also found all over the body of Lia’s Subaru rally car.
This isn’t the first time that someone paid tribute to Ken Block by using his snow camo livery. Pastrana, who was Ken’s teammate in 2005, covered his rallycross car in January for the Nitro Rallycross series event in Quebec. As for Lia, her campaign at her first rally stage for 2023 was a huge success. She finished 2nd in the O2WD class, 5th fastest overall on the Power Stage, and was the fastest RWD car overall.
Source: Lia Block on Instagram, ewrc-results.com