One huge plus for aluminum blocks is ease of repair, last year I lost
oil pressure in a long corner. The trapdoor Aviad pan failed to pick up and my Accusump finally ran out of
oil. Number one rod was snatched by the crank and snapped off at the big end (Accusump fed at the rear of the block). The rod made a hole in the side of the block, then jammed the cam which resulted in damage to three lifter bores. I also lost two sleeves plus two adjacent rods. The piston with what was left of the rod flew up and cracked the head which pulled one head stud loose in the block.
All this damage was repairable thanks to an aluminum block. If I had an iron block I would have been buying a new one.