Ex-F1 Academy racer Lia Block targets ARA title in...

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Former F1 Academy driver Lia Block has confirmed that she will probably be competing within the 2026 American Rally Affiliation Nationwide Championship in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2.

Block made her American Rally Affiliation debut in 2021 earlier than taking a full-time position in 2022. In 2023, she raced within the Open Two-Wheel-Drive class and have become the youngest champion within the sequence at 16 years outdated.

In 2024 and 2025, the American driver switched to single-seaters, and he or she joined the Williams Racing driver academy and raced within the all-female racing sequence, F1 Academy.

After leaving F1 Academy on the finish of 2025, Block determined to return to the world of rally moderately than pursue a future in single-seaters.

“I’m stepping as much as the RC2 class in a Hyundai Rally2 automotive, which could be very thrilling for me,” Block informed DirtFish.

“Clearly a giant step up from the 2023 championship and the Rally3 automotive, however I consider in myself and my capability to study new vehicles and new disciplines in a short time, so I’m simply actually excited for the street forward.”

Discussing her aim of successful the championship, she added: “I believe it’s very, very doable to be preventing for the championship and that’s what I will probably be working in direction of.

Lia Block, ART Grand Prix

Photograph by: Simon Galloway / LAT Photos through Getty Photos

“Clearly, as you understand, rally is a really unpredictable sport and issues can occur two corners from the end, and I discovered that already this 12 months!

“I believe I’ve already confirmed my expertise in rally by successful the rear-wheel-drive championship in 2023, however the general championship is certainly what I’m going for, and naturally it’s a giant deal.

“I believe this 12 months gained’t have an absence of competitors, and I believe that’s going to be probably the most tough half. However I actually, actually do stay up for it. It’s about restating myself on the planet of rally.

“So I’ll simply be taking it as a studying alternative each time I’m again within the automotive and having enjoyable as a result of I believe that’s an important factor, and positively what I’ve missed from rally within the earlier years.”