Lia Block and Seth Quintero Take a 17-Point Title Fight to Michigan
Lake Superior Performance Rally brings the ARA National Championship to its final round, where Lia Block leads Seth Quintero into a 16-stage contest across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Photograph: trav.is.video / ARA- Event
- Lake Superior Performance Rally · Marquette, Michigan
- Dates
- 9 to 10 October 2026
- Title margin
- Lia Block leads Seth Quintero by 17 points
- National itinerary
- 16 stages · 123.80 stage miles
- Entries
- 83 across the event field
- Decisive stage
- Al’s Playground · SS16 · ARA Power Stage
The American Rally Association reaches its final national round in Michigan with one title fight still open. Lia Block leads Seth Quintero by 17 points as the crews gather for Lake Superior Performance Rally, a two-day event through the forests and public roads of the Upper Peninsula. The final answer will come from a 16-stage itinerary and one last run through Al’s Playground.
Block has the season lead and the chance to make history. A national title would make her the first woman to win the ARA National Championship overall. Quintero has spent his first season in stage rallying building an impressive record of his own, with two overall victories and two further podiums. The margin gives Block a firm position, and the final round still leaves Quintero with a clear route to overturn it.
The championship pair have already met in a defining contest. At Southern Ohio in June, Quintero and co-driver Topi Luhtinen took Quintero’s first ARA National victory, holding Block and Alex Gelsomino off by 9.4 seconds. That result gave his first season in stage rallying a breakthrough win and kept the title contest moving toward this final round.
The title calculation fits inside two simple outcomes
The points system explains why the 17-point margin carries more detail than a simple scoreboard. Each crew counts its six best event scores from the eight-round season, while Power Stage points from all eight events remain in the total. Quintero has two no-score events to discard. Block has one disqualification, with a 12-point result next on her list. The ARA’s full calculation says Block wins the title if she finishes ahead of Quintero. If Quintero finishes ahead while Block remains on the podium, the championship can reach the Power Stage. Quintero must finish on the overall podium to keep any path open. The clearest routes are an overall win plus maximum Power Stage points for Quintero, or a second overall rally victory of the year for Block regardless of Power Stage points.
| Contender | Position before the finale | Published title route |
|---|---|---|
| Lia Block | Leads by 17 points | Finishing ahead of Quintero secures the title, and a second overall win seals it regardless of Power Stage points |
| Seth Quintero | 17 points behind | Must finish on the overall podium, and an overall win with maximum Power Stage points secures the title |
The score arithmetic makes the final result especially sensitive to the Power Stage. Block’s overall win would replace an earlier 12-point finish with the 22 points awarded for victory, adding ten event points before the final bonus. Quintero has a larger cushion of scores to drop, yet his route still depends on finishing ahead and taking points from Al’s Playground. The standings have brought both drivers to Michigan with a live outcome and an exact final-stage question.
This is a finale shaped by multiple headline. There are 83 entries, with potential spoilers spread across the field, and the weekend also counts as a Super Regional round. The national teams will cover 123.80 competitive miles over 16 stages. The route mixes forest logging roads with sandy unpaved public roads, where weather can shift from clear and dusty conditions to rain, mud or even snow.
Friday begins in Sidnaw and runs into the evening
Competition is scheduled to begin Friday afternoon, with the field departing the Sidnaw Service Area at 1:00 p.m. local time. Crews face a five-stage loop of Passmore Short, Teepee Tower Short, Far Point, Bob Lake and Markey Lake. After a one-hour service stop, the same loop returns for a second pass into the evening.
The five-stage loop puts the same roads in front of crews twice, with service between the runs. Each team will have time to compare the first pass with its notes, inspect the car and decide how much to change for the second. Five of the eight named stage roads feature routes used at the 1974 event, giving the present-day finale a direct line to LSPR’s early history.
The service break gives teams a chance to look at the cars and adjust the plan after the first complete loop. The mix of road surfaces makes that information important. A crew can report what the car is doing through a sequence of corners, while the team checks how the tyres and suspension have handled the day. LSPR’s route rewards careful reading, as the surface and conditions influence both confidence and pace.
Saturday saves the final decision for Al’s Playground
Saturday opens with Parc Exposé at the Northern Michigan University Berry Events Center from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. local time. The stages then move to Mt. Marquette, Al’s Playground and Menge Creek. After service, the field repeats Al’s Playground and Menge Creek before the National contest returns to Al’s Playground for SS16.
That last run is the ARA Power Stage, where the championship offers bonus points to the fastest crews. It gives Quintero the opportunity described in the points scenario, and it gives Block a final place to protect her lead. The rally finishes with a street party in downtown Marquette, with the awards scheduled for 6:15 p.m.
Several class titles share the same roads
The combined Limited and Naturally Aspirated Four-Wheel-Drive class, known as LN4, is also undecided. Madelyn Tabor leads Nick Pysklyvets by 11 points and Aoife Raftery by 15. A third-place finish or better guarantees Tabor the title. Her younger brother Henry has already secured the Limited Two-Wheel-Drive championship and will arrive with a chance to add another class win.
Conner Martell adds another serious entry to the front of the field. He returns in the Subaru Motorsports USA WRX ARA25 Open Four-Wheel-Drive car after substituting for Travis Pastrana at Overmountain. Pastrana’s broken leg has not healed enough for him to compete at LSPR, so Martell remains in the seat alongside co-driver Ross Whittock. Martell finished second in the 2025 ARA championship and has been spending much of this season in European Rally2 machinery.
LSPR also brings a second championship conversation for Danny Shalev. After settling the Open Two-Wheel-Drive class title at Overmountain, he remains in contention for the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup North America against Canadian Vincent Lalande. Double Cup points are available at the ARA finale, and five Cup crews have entered.
A fitting final chapter for the ARA season
Michigan gives the championship a varied setting for its last decision. The route has speed, changing surfaces and a Power Stage that can award points after the overall result has taken shape. Block carries the advantage into the forest. Quintero has the straightforward requirement that keeps his title chance alive. The rest of the field has room to shape both contests through stage times and class results.
The sequence is now clear. Friday establishes the order across two runs through five stages. Saturday narrows the event through the Marquette stages, then sends the National field back to Al’s Playground for the final bonus points. At the end of that last pass, the ARA will have its champion and the Michigan rally will have closed the season.
