The 19-year-old New Yorker focuses on the championship title and series scholarship in 2022
BROWNSBURG, Ind. – Cape Motorsports has announced the third of four Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship drivers for 2022, signing New York native Michael d’Orlando to contest his third season with the team behind the wheel of the No. 4 Tatuus USF-22.
The 19-year-old contended for the USF2000 title throughout the 2021 season, going head-to-head with Brazilian Kiko Porto. Scoring three wins, five poles, eight podiums and 15 top-10 finishes in 18 races, d’Orlando would finish second in the title chase behind Porto. With the series champion moving up the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder this season, d’Orlando becomes one of the presumptive favorites to capture the scholarship worth over $400,000 which guarantees a full season of competition in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires in 2023.
Cape Motorsports brings a wealth of experience to the 2022 title chase, with 13 driver championships to their credit – including nine of the last 11. With Jagger Jones and Jackson Lee joining d’Orlando, the Cape team looks to return to the top of the series standings.
“We are ecstatic to have Michael back for 2022,” said Nicholas and Dominic Cape. “It is always good with a new car to have experienced drivers on the team. Michael was a race winner in 2021 and we know he will be challenging for wins and podiums all season.”
“I’ve looked in the past and it seems as though most of the drivers who win USF2000 are in their 20s, with three or more seasons of auto racing under their belts,” said d’Orlando. “I look at guys like Kyle Kirkwood and Oliver Askew, they did other open wheel racing before USF2000 so I feel as though I’m right on schedule. I would have loved to move up to Indy Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires, but budget constraints combined with my desire to win this championship – and the scholarship – made the decision to return this year an easy one.
“We had a bit of bad luck along the way last year, and Kiko had a great year, so I’m glad to have the chance to try again, especially being back with Cape,” d’Orlando continued. They’ve made me the driver that I am, honing my skills in the Tatuus and on the Cooper tires. They’re one of the best out here, they have so much experience and I learn something every day – and it feels like home! They’re serious when they need to be but they understand that racing is a passion, and they push me to be the best driver I can be. I want to put them back on top.”
Starting his karting career at age 6, d’Orlando scored a number of championship titles including the 2013 US Rotax Grand National Mini MAX championship, the 2014 Florida Winter Tour TaG Cadet championship, and the 2016 Florida Winter Tour Rotax Junior MAX Championship. He competed at the top level of national and international karting, earning a spot on Team USA for the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals Micro & Mini invitational in 2013 and the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals in 2016. He was runner up in the 2016 US Rotax Grand Nationals and in the Florida Winter Tour TaG Cadet class and competed as a factory driver for Italy’s Birel ART team in CIK-FIA (2016) and the WSK Masters (2017).
Transitioning to cars, d’Orlando competed in four USF2000 race weekends in 2018, capturing three top-10 finishes. He also competed in four F4 US Championship Powered by Honda events in 2019, with a podium at COTA and five top-10s. Signing with Cape Motorsports in 2020, he had a breakthrough season, earning a dominant victory at Mid-Ohio along with four additional podiums to claim fourth in the season-ending championship.
The entire Cape Motorsports team will be back on track at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 14 for the official Road to Indy Spring Training day ahead of the season opener February 25 to 27 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. Tune into USF2000.com for all the action!