The American Rally Association (ARA) recently announced that it will retire the famous No. 43 in remembrance of Ken Block, who was killed on January 2nd, 2023, in a snowmobiling accident in Utah.
The announcement coincided with the ARA’s return to the “100 Acre Wood” in Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri, where Block found more than a little success behind the wheel of his rally machines – in fact, he earned seven victories at the course throughout his career.
“The shockwaves of Ken’s passing were seismic,” said Jeremy Meyer, ARA Business and Marketing Director, in a statement. “As with everyone else, we worked through the grief of losing Ken, and when the time was right, we began discussions with the Block family on how to honor him. That begins with retiring the 43, with only the family being able to use it from now on.”
The No. 43 was officially retired at a special celebration on Thursday, March 16th, in Salem, which included the Block family, and was attended by Lucy, his widow, and his daughter, Lia. Both of the Blocks returned to competition for last weekend’s event at 100 Acre Wood; Lia finished ninth overall, while Lucy was unfortunately forced to retire, thanks to gearbox issues. Their return to competition was part of their “Flat Out 43ver Tribute Tour,” which will continue at all ARA events throughout the rest of the season.
The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) also elected to retire the No. 43 in Block’s honor. Other tributes to the legendary rally racer have been found across all walks of motorsports life, as Ford Performance teams in NASCAR, IMSA, Australian Supercars, Formula Drift and more carried a commemorative decal to kick off the 2023 racing season. Since Block raced for The Blue Oval for a decade, Ford also released its own tribute video recognizing some of his accomplishments.
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I love ken block, he’s a legend! Bless him in heaven.