The team travelled to Road America last week for Round 3 of the Revolution Cup North America, but before heading to the track, the team made a very special stop in Chicago for a presentation at Jefferson Middle School.
As always, the presentation was a roaring success. The students and staff were incredibly engaged and inspired by Austin’s journey both on and off the racetrack. Seeing the reactions in the room and hearing the questions afterwards was a powerful reminder of why we continue to do what we do.
The inspiration quickly turned into excitement when the entire school was invited outside to see Austin’s race car, “Izzy,” up close and receive an autographed hero card from Austin himself. The energy from the students was unbelievable, and watching so many young people connect with Austin’s story was something truly special.
For me personally, the whole event was incredibly fulfilling. Moments like these make me wish we could dedicate ourselves to this mission full time. The impact Austin is having on changing perceptions of what someone with autism is capable of is enormous, and seeing that firsthand through the eyes of these students and teachers is something I will never take for granted.
After wrapping up at the school, we hit the road for Road America and arrived just in time for load-in and setup. Waiting for us at the track was also a very cool surprise — our brand new shipment from Sonic Tools had arrived in the receiving area. Needless to say, the whole team was excited to see everything firsthand… especially Jeremy!
Day 1 featured three on-track practice sessions in absolutely perfect conditions. Not too hot, not a cloud in the sky, and just enough breeze to keep things comfortable. It was the kind of weather every driver dreams about at Road America.
Road America is a high-speed, high-horsepower circuit, and there was plenty of much bigger and faster machinery competing against Austin all weekend long. Completely unfazed, Austin immediately put Izzy P1 in class and inside the top 10 overall in every single session. Things looked very promising heading into Day 2.
Day 2 started much the same way, with Austin setting his fastest lap time of the entire weekend during morning practice. Next up was qualifying, but by then the wind had picked up substantially. Unfortunately, an uncharacteristic mistake at the exit of the famous “Kink” sent Austin spinning at over 228 kph. Somehow, he managed to avoid completely destroying the car, but Izzy suffered suspension damage in the right rear after making contact with the wall.
Despite the incident, Austin still qualified P1 in class and 12th overall. Unfortunately, because the session had to be stopped to recover the car, he was handed a 10-position penalty for Race 1.
Qualifying ended late in the afternoon, and it was already after 4 PM by the time the team could fully assess the damage and begin repairs. What followed was an absolutely massive effort by everyone involved. The crew worked relentlessly late into the night, and somehow Izzy was ready to go by 11:45 PM for Saturday morning’s Race 1.
Day 3 began with Austin facing a huge challenge, starting 22nd overall. To make matters worse, a car several rows ahead suffered a mechanical issue during the formation lap, meaning Austin and everyone behind him were already more than 10 seconds back by the time they crossed the start line.
What happened next was vintage Austin Riley.
Austin has always struggled expressing appreciation with words, but when his team gives him a car, he thanks them the best way he knows how — behind the wheel. By Lap 3 he was already on the back bumper of the class leader and took over the lead midway through the lap. Against all odds, Austin charged from 22nd overall to finish P1 in class and inside the top 10 overall. An unbelievable drive.
Race 2 later that afternoon started much cleaner, and Austin controlled the class lead from start to finish while bringing Izzy home 9th overall out of a stacked 34-car field. Another P1 in class and another top-10 overall result.
Sunday morning’s Race 3 would provide the kind of conditions that create legendary drives.
When we arrived at the track, temperatures were below 10°C with strong winds and light rain. The rain stopped roughly 20 minutes before the race, and we decided to gamble by putting Austin on slick tires on a drying track. Our thinking was simple — if anyone could keep it on the road in those conditions, it would be Austin.
Starting 4th overall based on his Race 2 lap times, Austin immediately jumped to 3rd by the end of Lap 1. Once heat started building in the slick tires, he began chasing down the leaders who had all chosen wet tires. Around halfway through the race, Austin took the OVERALL LEAD in increasingly difficult conditions just as the rain began to return.
At first it was light rain… but by the closing laps it had become extremely heavy. Cars were spinning off everywhere. Every slick-shod car came into the pits for rain tires… except Austin.
Even after dropping back to second overall because of the worsening conditions, Austin stayed glued to the leader’s rear wing despite competing against a much faster car on proper rain tires. Watching Austin wrestle that car around the circuit on slicks was one of the most incredible things we have ever witnessed. He was making that car dance in conditions where most drivers could barely keep their cars pointed straight.
Austin ultimately crossed the line P1 in class, with second place over a lap behind him, and an astonishing P2 OVERALL.
Many of Austin’s closest competitors walked over to inspect the car after the race because they simply could not believe he had completed the entire race on slicks.
There are moments in racing where a driver produces something truly unforgettable behind the wheel.
This was one of those moments.
Absolutely legendary. What a way to finish the weekend.
