Michael d'Orlando

ROAD TO INDY – COOPER TIRES USF2000 CHAMPIONSHIP

Age: 18
Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 158lbs

Michael d’Orlando is one of the United States’ top motorsports talents making his mark on the open wheel car racing scene around North America. After a nine year career in karting, working his way up to the world championship level, d’Orlando made his move into race cars in 2018.

The 18-year-old American from Hartsdale, NY began kart racing at the age of six ,at Oakland Valley Race Park in Cuddebackville, NY. He earned an extensive resume at the national and international level, including multiple championship titles. The culmination of his karting career was capped off as a factory team driver for the world-renowned Birel ART racing team based in Italy.

Michael transitioned from karts to cars, in a limited capacity, in 2018 when he competed in only four events of the Road to Indy Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship series. In 2019, he competed in only four events in the F4 United States Championship series. With such limited experience, he caught the attention of many, with two top-6 finishes in USF2000 and a podium at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX, in front of a packed stadium with fans for the United States Formula 1 Grand Prix.

For the 2020 season, which was drastically delayed and condensed due the COVID-19 pandemic, d’Orlando returned to the Road to Indy Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship series, for his first full season of car racing. Under the direction and support of Indianapolis-based Cape Motorsports race team, one of the most accredited race teams in the Road to Indy, the partnership resulted in five podium appearances, including his maiden victory in open-wheel car racing. This success earned him 4th place overall in the Drivers’ Championship, just slightly behind of the highly experienced top-3 competitors.

Michael d’Orlando is poised to return to the 2021 Road to Indy Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship series, with Cape Motorsports.

Career Highlights:

2x Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Grand Finals Team USA member
US Rotax Grand National Mini MAX
2x US Rotax Grand Nationals Vice-Champion
2x Florida Winter Tour Champion
Florida Winter Tour Vice-Champion
SuperKarts! USA Pro Tour Vice-Champion
2014 Nominated #1 cadet driver in North America by both Kart360.com and KartRank.com
Factory Team Driver for Birel ART racing team, Lissone, Italy
2017 Top-15 CIK FIA World Championships, Kristianstad, Sweden
2020 Road To Indy Fourth Overall Driver Championship (1 victory, 5 podium appearances)

MICHAEL D'ORLANDO TAKES TWO VICTORIES AT MID-OHIO
July 8, 2021

As the Road to Indy’s Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship series hits the latter half of the season, Hartsdale, NY native Michael d’Orlando seems to be turning up the wick! The second-year driver for Indiana-based Cape Motorsports has chalked up four podiums in the past five races, including two victories this past weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH. d’Orlando’s success has moved him up from the fourth spot into the second spot of the drivers’ championship with only two race weekends left for the 2021 season.

Michael D'Orlando Featured on The Marshall Pruett Podcast
June 7, 2021

It's The Cooper Tires Road To Indy Report with Indy Lights front-runner Linus Lundqvist who holds second in the standings with two wins, and USF2000 racer Michael d'Orlando, who was victorious at the most recent round, holds fourth in the championship, and has earned a nickname of 'The Burrito Ninja.'

Check out the podcast HERE.