Four out of five RySpec Racing drivers were on the podium in Toronto. (Photo-Ray MacAloney/Canadian Auto Racers for RaceCanada.ca)
By: RTD Media
July 18, 2023 

It was a hometown event for Canadian Radical Cup team RySpec Racing as the Blue Marble Radical Cup North America program traveled north of the border to battle the Streets of Toronto. Entering unchartered territory, RySpec Racing entered a pair of drivers in the Pro 1500 class as Austin Riley and Robert Soroka earned three podium results and five top-five finishes in six attempts. Additionally, RySpec Racing entered three drivers in the Emzone Radical Cup Canada (ERCC) program earning four additional podium results. In an incredible feat, four out of the five cars under the RySpec Racing banner were on the podium.

 

With only a single practice session prior to qualifying, Soroka would lead the way for RySpec in the first official session as he was able to clock the third fastest lap of the session while Riley was back in the sixth position and started the first wheel-to-wheel racing from the outside of row three.

 

Saturday morning greeted Radical Cup competitors with the first opportunity to fight for the podium and it was Soroka who was able to secure the team's first trip to the box in Toronto. With both drivers inside the top-five, Soroka was able to cross the stripe third while Austin Riley earned the fifth position as the duo shifted their focus to race two later that afternoon.

 

With rain threatening the area, a gentle mist made the track difficult for race two as drivers tiptoed around the barrier-lined, 1.786-mile circuit. Soroka couldn’t keep his positioning from the day before and ended the second race of the weekend in the eighth position, but it was Riley who rose to the occasion. Using his talent to move forward in an incredible drive in the final ten minutes of the race, the Racing With Autism driver put himself in a position to earn a podium result and was able to overcome all the challenges to finish third giving RySpec Racing their second podium result in as many races.

 

Race three took place Sunday morning in front of a packed crowd as rain once again fell overnight making the track damp and slick. With the Race Director providing the option of slick or wet weather Hankook Tires, it was split amongst the field, but RySpec played their cards right and earned the best team result of the weekend. Austin Riley scored his second podium result in as many races and third for the team in Toronto, while Robert Soroka put a pair of RySpec drivers in the top-five earning the fourth position when the checkered flag flew.

 

“I think we proved this weekend that we have the ability to compete on both permanent and temporary street circuits as unlike others, our results for both drivers remained consistent from event to event,” explained RySpec Racing's Richard Yin. “We keep pushing the envelope further and our results keep coming. Looking forward to the Texas event later next month.”

 

In the Emzone Radical Cup Canada (ERCC) program, Jake Cowden led the way for RySpec Racing grabbing a trio of podium results as he finished second in each wheel-to-wheel race. Pushing hard for the win, Cowden came up just short but showed the pace of his RySpec Racing-prepared machine in both dry and wet weather competition. Connor Bell joined Cowden on the podium in race one with a third-place result as RySpec Racing drivers took up two-thirds of the podium. Bell was also poised for a podium result in race three until contact from a lapped car took him out of contention.

Yin added, “Our RCC efforts continue with four more podium results this weekend for a total of seven for RySpec Racing in Toronto. Congrats to all the RySpec Racing drivers, crew, and supporters for the hard work. On to the next one.”

Always looking to add to their driver lineup, RySpec Racing will travel to the famed Circuit of the Americas at the end of August for the penultimate round of the Blue Marble Radical Cup North America program. Are you looking to race at one of North America’s premier facilities? Contact RySpec Racing today.

 

To keep up with RySpec Racing and for more information from the event including photos and results, please follow RySpec Racing via their social media pages on Facebook and Instagram by searching ‘RySpec Racing’.

 

For more information on RySpec Racing, please visit them online at www.RySpec.ca.