AUSTIN RILEY MAKES TORONTO DEBUT

Reigning Radical Cup North America Champion Relishes Hometown Outings

Story by Bryce Turner

Riley made his streets of Toronto debut in a special FEL Radical Cup Canada (RCC) race, where the defending Radical Cup North America (RCNA) outright champion was part of a combined event.

Austin

Riley, whose story of racing with autism has gained mainstream attention, continues to climb the racing ladder. He won the inaugural RCC championship in 2021, before taking his efforts stateside, where his Pro 1340 class title also earned him overall RCNA honours. This season, he’s running in the Pro 1500 class.

“Last season was phenomenal; we dominated pretty much every race, we were unbeatable,” said Riley. “This year, we have a new car and new class, so we’re still adapting to the car…it’s more power, bigger motor and the class is much more competitive.”

The combined RCNA and RCC event provided Riley with the opportunity to race on Indy Toronto weekend for the first time, while also making his first start in Canada since 2021.

“It’s just nice to be back home and back in my home city for a race, after racing in the

US all year,” said Riley. “Just nice to be in front of my home crowd and getting to race on the streets of Toronto.”

In the first race, Riley finished fifth in class and 15th overall, before an impressive performance in the second event that saw him climb through the field to finish third in class and 11th overall. His home podium was met with an extended celebration in the winner’s circle. His father, Jason Riley, didn’t think that he was going to get that result after he was shuffled back on the start.

“There were two long cautions and then, when we did go green, his pace was excellent,” said Jason. “He was running top-three in times. He had five cars he had to (pass) in the last ten minutes and he was able to get them and get back to third-place. He really drove incredibly well, considering all the issues we’ve had today with anxiety and everything going on.”

Jason also noted the importance of the performance, with Austin’s title sponsor in attendance, and said that the amount of support he had in Toronto was phenomenal. Austin was also happy to get a podium in front of his sponsors and his home fans.

“It was a tough race, I pushed hard, I just kept focused and I brought it home third,” said Austin. “I love it here; I’m happy to be at my home race. There’s no better place to get a podium.”

Austin followed up his Saturday performance with another third-place class finish in the Sunday finale, which was good for eighth overall. He’ll now return to racing south of the border, where there are two events remaining on the RCNA schedule.

One of the team’s goals is to raise awareness for autism. They also have an initiative called Mission Twenty, where they’re selling limited edition hats, with proceeds going directly to support 20 racers with autism. Jason says that the moral of Austin’s story is that anyone can be successful at something if they find what they love and work tirelessly at it.

“Austin should not be able to compete at this level with what he has, but his desire to compete, his love for the sport, overcome his disability,” said Jason. “A lot of people have to realize that just because you’ve been dealt a raw hand in life, it doesn’t mean you still can’t win.” IT