Austin Riley

Blue Marble Radical Cup North America Champion

Story by J. Wally Nesbitt

Building on the momentum from his 2021 Radical Cup Canada championship, Austin Riley and his Racing with Autism team set their sights south of the border and made history at Sonoma Raceway in California.

Concluding their 2022 campaign with a final tripleheader weekend in California, the Riley Racing effort was rewarded with not only the USAC-sanctioned Blue Marble Radical Cup North America Pro 1340 Class championship, but also the overall North America title. The 23-year-old from Lindsay, ON was also recognized as the first driver on the autism spectrum to win a major US championship and to win back-to-back titles.

“I was pretty confident going to the US, I felt that I could do well,” noted Austin. “The fields were much bigger than we faced in Canada, and there was a lot of competition wherever you were racing in the field. The racing was clean most of the time, but we did get involved in a couple of crashes.”

Father Jason continued the story, “first race, first lap, first corner, Austin got rear ended to the tune of about $14,000 in damages. That was a financial hit that we really didn’t need, but we pulled together and got the car repaired for the second race. We were on the back foot for most of the weekend, but Austin put his head down and he came through with a fourth place in round two and a win in the Barber (Motorsports Park) final.”

The Radical Cup North America tour then moved on to Road America, where the No. 20 Radical earned a trio of top four results

(Above) Austin Riley had five wins during his championship campaign. Photos Courtesy of Racing with Autism

included a runner-up finish.

The Racing with Autism team finally hit their stride with an early July date at Watkins Glen International in New York State.

“Austin was on a different level that weekend. He qualified on the pole seven/tenths faster than anyone else, set the fastest race lap in all three races and swept the weekend victories,” recalled Jason.

“Watkins Glen is a track I’ve always liked,” said Austin. “I just feel good when I’m racing there. The three wins at Watkins Glen also gave us the points lead in the championship.”

Six more podium finishes, including a win, his fifth of the season, came at the events at Utah Motorsports Campus and at the Circuit of the Americas, setting up a title showdown in California.

The weekend’s opening round featured a battle at the front of the 1340 cc class between Riley and his primary point challenger Mike Anzaldi, a battle that was resolved with both cars contacting Sonoma’s concrete walls. Following another long night of repairs the Riley racer made the grid for Race 2, Austin bringing his car to the checkered flag in second spot.

Now needing to only take the green flag in the season finale to win the class crown, Riley was racing in the lead when he again suffered contact with the No. 61 Anzaldi car and spun off the track. Re-firing his car, Austin rebounded to record a fourth-place result, earning sufficient points to secure his season rewards.

“We’re the smallest team in the paddock,” said Jason Riley post-race. “We have no big hauler, just a trailer towed by a pickup. Austin, his mother and I, along with Chase (Pelletier) and Richard (Yin) made up the crew and we all worked together to overcome our issues and win the 1340 Class Trophy, the Team Trophy, and the Overall.”

Riley’s Overall title was not confirmed until the following day at the Radical Cup North America banquet. Going head-to-head in the points with Radical Pro 1500 Class champion Palmer Miller, Riley managed to secure the crown in a tiebreaker, the difference between Riley’s five season victories to Miller’s four wins. IT