Lia Block Is the Hero of Pikes Peak 2023

Lia Block didn't have to do this. She didn't even have to be here. She was, and she didn't just show up, she became the hero of the 2023 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb . Here's how the weekend looked from the top.

The Hoonipigasus

Lia, the 16-year-old daughter of racer, stunt driver, and celebrity Ken Block, didn't come to Pikes Peak to watch. She drove her father's last race car, a 1,400-horsepower mid-engine Porsche 911 monster known as the Hoonipigasus, to the top of the mountain in a special exhibition run to close out the 2023 race. Though untimed, Block wasn't on a parade lap. She drove the car hard up the mountain, capping off a weekend of triumphs.

Lia and Lucy

Without taking anything away from the other badass women competing—including her own mother, Lucy Block, who competed in an electric buggy—it was clear from the start Lia Block would be the star of race weekend. The origin story of Lia Block and the Hoonipigasus is undeniably tragic, but her perseverance is far more compelling.

Autographs

Only relatively recently introduced to the world as a racecar driver in her own right, she was the only one at the Fan Fest pre-race street fair with a line 50-deep waiting to get her autograph. When she finally pulled up to the starting line Sunday afternoon, the crowd was thicker than for any of the 66 other competitors or the three celebrity pace car drivers. So too was the crowd below the big screen in the pits ten times thicker than at any other point in the day as she climbed the mountain in tribute to her late father.

Wrangling a Monster

The drive was the crowning achievement. Lia Block could've walked to the top of the mountain and been a hero. She could've raced the Subaru BRZ she's been collecting class wins in eWRC rally with this year. Instead, she chose to wrangle a monster of a car, one her own father and mentor struggled to keep under control during Pikes Peak practice last year, and in doing so proved wrong every hater who dared say she was too young, too inexperienced, and too female to handle it.

A Winner

The title "King of the Mountain" is bestowed on the overall winner of the race, and this year it went to defending champion and now four-time winner Robin Shute. Everyone in attendance knew, though, that Lia Block was queen of the mountain. If she never races Pikes Peak again, she'll walk away a hero. If she comes back on her own terms to compete with the best hill climb racers in the world, she'll be welcomed with open arms. Either way, she wins.

Lucy Block

Lia's mother, Lucy Block, raced up Pikes Peak in a custom EV buggy from Sierra and Hypercraft with a time of 11:25.315.

Pikes Peak 2023

Pikes Peak 2023

Pikes Peak 2023