Canadian karting champion set for move to single-seater racing with title-winning team
ORLANDO, FL – Zanella Racing is fully focused on the 2026 USF Pro Championships by Continental Tire season and is pleased to announce their fourth driver for this year’s USF Juniors program. Canadian karting champion Leonardo Serravalle will join the team, having logged multiple tests with the squad, including the Fall Combine at Indianapolis in October. The 14-year-old from Thorold, Ontario won both national and provincial karting titles in 2025 and represented his country at both the ROK Cup SuperFinal in Italy in October and the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Bahrain in December. Serravalle has completed multiple test days with the team already and is extremely focused on success in 2026.
"I’ve been very impressed with Leonardo since our very first test.” enthused Naka Zanella, Team Owner. “He’s very focused and a natural talent. The skills he developed in karting are transferring extremely well to the open wheel formula car. His immediate understanding of what it takes to go fast reminds me of the rapid development of Ty Fisher, who won with us in his rookie season in USF Juniors last year. I think Leonardo will be a title contender this year.”
Serravalle has four years of karting on his resume and is widely considered one of the top young talents in Canada. Over the course of his young career, he’s had the opportunity to compete with two of Canada’s finest karting teams and has been coached by karting champions like Ryan Norberg and Davide Fore. Serravalle had a spectacular season in 2025, winning both the Canadian Karting Championships and Canadian Open in the Rotax Junior category, qualifying to represent Team Canada at the Rotax Max Challenge in Bahrain in December. Leonardo also captured the Rotax Max Ontario title and was vice-champion in the RMC Quebec and Kart Stars programs. He was also very impressive in the two season-ending karting events in Las Vegas – ROK Vegas and the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals – qualifying on pole for both Junior classes at the ROK Vegas race. Serravalle is now 100% focused on car racing and is ready to put all his efforts into this program with Zanella Racing.
“Moving from karting to cars is something I’ve been working toward, and I’m proud to have signed with Zanella Racing to compete in the 2026 USF Juniors season,” commented Serravalle. “I’m grateful for the opportunity and driven to work hard, learn as much as possible, and push myself to the next level.”
Serravalle is the fourth USF Juniors driver to be confirmed by Zanella racing, joining Maddie Colleran, Victor Couto and Max Mokarem. Two additional drivers will be announced next week.
With just over five weeks until the start of the USF Juniors season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Zanella Racing will resume its pre-season testing program in mid-January at Carolina Motorsports Park and Homestead following the holiday break. The first official race of the 2026 USF Juniors season will be part of the annual USF Pro Championships ‘Spring Training’ event at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 16-18. The tripleheader will be broadcast live on the USF Pro Championships YouTube channel.