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FROM CARDBOARD TO CARBON FIBRE: THE 8-YEAR-OLD FOLLOWING OSCAR PIASTRI’S RACING LINES TO GREATNESS
As the city gears up for the roar of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, a young talent is making a name for himself at the Oakleigh Go Kart Club (OGKRC), the same track that launched the career of McLaren star Oscar Piastri and is home to the Piastri Straight.
Eight-year-old Alfi Lucchetti doesn’t just share a home track and hometown with his hero but also attends the same school, proving that the Piastri Blueprint for success is thriving in Melbourne’s southeast.
The connection runs even deeper; Alfi is coached by David Sera, an 18-time Australian Kart Champion and
Motorsport Hal of Fame inductee, whose cousin James Sera mentored Piastri during his formative years at
Oakleigh.
Beginning his journey at age three by “racing” in cardboard boxes with a homemade helmet, Alfi has quickly
evolved into one of the country’s most impressive junior athletes.
Competing in the elite Cadet 9 category, he is currently the youngest driver ranked in the national top five, maintaining a 100% podium record across every event in 2026:
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- Junior Top Guns (Oakleigh): Saturday Pole and 3rd Place (highest-placed Victorian racer)
- Bendigo Club Day: Pole position, heat wins and 1st Place
- Eastern Lions Kart Club (Seymour): 3rd Place
- Eastern Lions Kart Club, Golden Power series (Seymour): Pole position, heat win and 3rd Place in final.
From meeting Piastri as a six-year-old at the 2024 Grand Prix to appearing in the televised heats of the Australian
Kart Championship, Alfi is forging his own path as a prodigy to watch. He has already collected numerous trophies and been crowned the Ultimate Club Racer in 2025, making him the youngest cadet driver ever to achieve this milestone at just seven years old.
“My biggest chalenge so far was racing in the rain during the Cobden round of VCS,” says Alfi. “It was realy
slippery and hard to see, and I had to start from the back because of a DNF in the heat. I stayed focused, hit my
marks and managed my first ‘last to first’ win. My goal for this year is to secure a podium finish and hopefuly win
at the AKC level.”
His coach, David Sera, notes that Alfi’s maturity is his greatest edge. “Alfi has shown incredible focus. He’s
embracing the life of a professional athlete at an age when most kids are just learning to ride bicycles.”
With the aim of representing young Australian talent on the international stage at the 2026 SKUSA SuperNats in
Las Vegas, Alfi is seeking corporate partners to join him on his journey.
As Melbourne turns its focus to Albert Park, the next generation of Australian motorsport is already reaching its
peak in the suburbs.
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