Austin Riley, an 18-year-old racecar driver from Uxbridge, Ontario, is gaining attention after a recent Nissan documentary featured the driver. Riley, who is the first autistic racecar driver in Canada, started his second season in the Nissan Micra Cup in Canada, and the short documentary centers on Austin’s career over the years. We at Bill Seidle’s Nissan couldn’t be more impressed with Austin’s work.
Though there are still aspects of autism that are not understood in the medical community, the disability is generally diagnosed in patients who may have difficulty with certain social or behavioral cues, those who have trouble with language or figurative meaning, or those who compulsively perform repetitive behaviors. According to The News Wheel, Austin was diagnosed when he was 12 years old, and he even worked with his family to form the organization Racing with Autism.
“Stories like Austin’s give us great joy. The Nissan Micra Cup was made exactly for the purpose of allowing people to live their dreams of racing, and the fact that the community has come together in this way for Austin is indicative of the great people involved in this series,” said Joni Paiva, president of Nissan Canada Inc.
Austin gained connections in the racing community through his work with Racing with Autism, later joining Azure Racing to become the first autistic driver in Canada to race in one of Nissan’s Micra racecars.
Austin’s story and accomplishments are empowering; we’re glad to see Nissan highlighting his inspirational achievements.
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