The FIA has announced it will retire competition number 43 from the WRC Season 2023 as a tribute to the driver most known for using it, the late Ken Block. The decision of retiring the #43 only affects the this season, but it may be a suggestion going forward against using the number in the future.
According to the FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, this is just a small gesture, and the organization hopes to bring some comfort to Ken's friends and family. The President of the FIA has described Ken Block as a true legend and has underlined his belief that his memory will live with us forever.
Most likely, no competitor will request the #43 on their car in an FIA-sanctioned event too soon, as Ken Block was a world-renowned talent, and his passing has spread grief across the motorsport community and beyond it. Similar decisions have been made with other competition numbers that were synonymous with athletes who passed away.
The organizers of the WRC have noted that Ken Block's impact on the sport cannot be underestimated, and his presence has led to an all-new audience for the World Rally Championship. During his time in the WRC, Ken Block amassed 25 starts in WRC events since 2007.
The best finish that the American driver accomplished in a WRC event was in seventh place, back in Rally Mexico's 2013 event, which is an accomplishment for someone who started rallying at the age of 40. Going head-to-head with the world's best rally drivers at the top level of the sport and finishing in the top ten is an astounding achievement, mind you.
Ken Block was appreciated for his driving style, as well as for his determination, which often led to several accidents that ended a few rallies for the Californian. In the WRC alone, Block had six retirements and seven from the SuperRally rule.
The latter allows competitors to get back in the race if they have crashed their vehicle, but can return to the service park with it and fix it in time to continue racing. Some competitors end up crashing or retiring from the rally even after they re-entered it under the SuperRally rule, for assorted reasons.
While Block did not manage to win a WRC event, he did finish second in his class, and his showmanship was the element that attracted so many people to the sport.
Ken Block was already known in the U.S., and many have decided to follow his adventures in the world of rallying on the international stage. The latter part gathered more fans of Ken in the rest of the world, while Americans began following the WRC thanks to Block's presence in the sport.
Ken Block made his mark on the sport, and many competitors praised his larger-than-life personality and talent.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
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