Lynx Racing

Michael Valiante

Michael Valiante, 22, of Vancouver, B.C., drove five races with the Lynx team during the 2001 CART Toyota Atlantic season. He scored two podium finishes and placed 9th in the championship battle. He replaces the graduating David Rutledge at the full-time Lynx driver in 2002.

Valiante got his professional racing career off to a spectacular start, winning the Canadian and North American 'Formula A' karting championships in 1996. He continued his winning ways in 1997, winning the prestigious ELF Constructor's Championship, as well as the U.S. Grand Nationals and the IKF Gold Cup series. He also made his first foray into racing cars in 1997, attending both the Skip Barber and Bridgestone racing schools, and testing in Bordin Racing's Formula 1600 car. In 1998, he won championships in both karts and cars. In karts, he won the ELF Campus Shoot-Out in Le Mans, France, the North American 125 Shifter Formula C championship, and the ELF Constructor's championship.

His karting success led him to a full-season scholarship in the Skip Barber 2.0 Series, where he was both Rookie of the Year and series champion. This spectacular performance resulted in him winning the Rio Big Scholarship, a fully-paid, full-season ride in the Barber Dodge Pro Series. In his first year in BDPS, he scored seven top-10 and four top-5 finishes and was co-Rookie of the Year. In his second season, he finished in the top-10 eight times, was on the pole in the first race of the season at Sebring and finished second, and won from the pole at Road Atlanta. He finished sixth overall in the 2000 Barber Dodge Pro Series Championship. His other interests include hockey, kart racing, rollerblading and reading.