Michael Valiante

Michael Valiante, born on November 11, 1979, is a Canadian racing driver with a diverse career spanning various racing disciplines. Valiante's career began in karting, where his early success earned him a scholarship in the Skip Barber 2.0 Series. He quickly demonstrated his talent, winning the series championship and rookie of the year award in his first season. This early triumph propelled him into the Barber Dodge Pro Series and subsequently the Toyota Atlantic Championship. In 2001, driving for Lynx Racing, he finished eighth in the championship despite participating in only five races. 2002 proved to be Valiante's best year in the series, securing three race wins and leading the points standings until the final race where he lost the championship to Jon Fogarty.

Transitioning to sports car racing, Valiante competed full-time in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series in 2006 with Finlay Motorsports, finishing ninth in the standings. He later joined SunTrust Racing in 2008, partnering with Max Angelelli and winning at Sonoma. In 2009, he moved to Michael Shank Racing, achieving two podium finishes and seventh in the DP driver standings. Valiante continued to race in the series with various teams, including Spirit of Daytona in the merged United SportsCar Championship in 2014, and secured a notable win at Mid-Ohio with Richard Westbrook.

Although primarily focused on sports car racing, Valiante also made appearances in open-wheel and stock car racing. He participated in two Champ Car World Series races in 2004 and 2005 and one NASCAR Xfinity Series race in 2007. Following a serious crash in 2016, Valiante has since retired from professional racing. He now dedicates his time to driver coaching through his racing school and driving academy, managing his family's karting team, and working for Pfaff McLaren Vancouver.