Red Bull driver search finalists announced

Las Vegas, Nevada

2002: Stars of Tomorrow shifter karts Prior: Karts Background: Michael got a kart for a birthday present at age 10, and racing locally, he dominated. Realizing that in order to keep progressing, the "team" had to "leave town," off Michael went to an IKF race in Phoenix - where he was lapped twice. "The club racing success had spoiled me," Michael said, "The Phoenix race was a real eye-opener." It was only a few races later that he was finishing in the top five, and he's been winning ever since (multiple local, regional and national shifter kart championships, and a 2001 Skip Barber Karting Scholarship finalist). Michael is the first and only American to be a factory driver for leading Italian kart-maker Birel. His Dad, Mike Abbate, has raced motorcycles, cars and boats all his life.

Hollister, California

Background: As a rookie, A.J. dominated this year's (2002) CART Barber Dodge Pro Series championship, clinching the title in round 8 of 10. In karts, he was a Stars of Tomorrow winner and a multiple IKF champion. A.J. then graduated to Skip Barber Regional Formula Dodge, then Skip Barber National Formula Dodge, where in 2001 he finished second in the championsip. His father, Greg, is a carpet installer who raced at local short tracks before A.J. was born. Protege of CART star Paul Tracy.

Brownsburg, Indiana

Background: This young driver's name is Bobby, same as his dad, maker of the renowned "Beast" (Bobby East) sprint cars. East the Younger was the youngest driver ever to win a USAC National race (in 2001). Racing is everywhere in the family: Bobby's sister Amy is a NASCAR Craftsman Truck pitlane reporter, who happens to be married to Terry Cook, a multiple winner in the Craftsman championship.

Santa Maria, California

Background: Here's an American driver with impeccable European open-wheel credentials, earning poles and winning races in every category he's competed in. Some of Paul's accomplishments include; first American in two decades to win a British Formula Ford race (1997); European Formula Opel Winter Series Champion (1998); British Formula Europa Cup Champion (1999); and representing the United States in 1997 in the massively competitive Formula Ford World Finals, Paul notched two wins and two poles in the quarter-finals, took the pole, set a track record and finished second in the semis, and in the final, he was in third place but was crashed out by another driver's mistake - with one corner to go.

Oxnard, California

Other Notables: In 1998 Phil won a Skip Barber Karting Scholarship to race in Formula Dodge, posting numerous poles and wins. In 2000, he won the Valvoline Team USA Scholarship (along with Joey Hand), which Phil used to win the Formula Palmer Audi Winter Series championship and finish second in French Formula 3(B).

Chardon, Ohio

Prior: Karts, Star Mazda, Formula Palmer Audi Winter Series, CART Toyota Atlantic Background: With a father who has a penchant for starting businesses from scratch - restaurants, moving companies, tire retailing, housing development, towing outfits, to name a few, each successful enough to fund a passion for dirt track stock car racing - Joey followed in his Dad's footsteps, racing karts from 1991 onward. Hand tried midgets and sprints in 1997, but his love for formula cars took him to the Star Mazda Series, where he won races in 1998 and 1999. A karting injury late in 1999 precluded him finding a full time ride in 2000, but leading Toyota Atlantic team DSTP tested Hand late that year, earning the 2001 ride that resulted in third place in the championship, including one pole and two victories. Joey missed six Toyota Atlantic races this year after breaking his back in a testing accident at Milwaukee, but still finished 12th in points with, in just six races, one pole, a podium, three top-fives and four top-10s.

Boca Raton, Florida

Background: Ryan has won races and/or championships in everything he's raced since he first jumped into a kart at age 14. To wit: Numerous WKA karting titles between 1994 and 1997; 1998 Rookie of the Year in Skip Barber Regional (South) Formula Dodge Series; 1999 champion in Skip Barber Regional (East) and National Formula Dodge; two wins in his sophomore year (2001) of Barber Dodge; and as a rookie in CART Toyota Atlantic in 2002, Ryan scored three poles and three wins after a horrendous start to move himself into the title chase late in the season, eventually finishing sixth in points.

Oak Park, California

Background: Patrick's first kart race was at age 8 and by 10, he was winning regional championships. IKF and WKA National titles were his by 1997. In 1998, Patrick made karting history by becoming the first American in almost two decades to win an international karting event in Europe ("The Winter Cup"). The following year, Patrick drove race cars for the first time: France's Elf Campus Series and the Skip Barber Regional Formula Dodge championship. In 2000, Patrick entered the cut-throat British Formula Ford Zetec Series, garnering eight top-10 finishes with a mid-level team, then he secured a ride with a top FF team for the Winter Series, taking two poles and winning a race. In 2001, Patrick won three races, took two poles and finished second in the title chase - the best ever by an American. One other accomplishment: he won two heats in the British Formula Ford Festival. In 1999, while competing simultaneously in Skip Barber Formula Dodge and the French Elf Campus Series, Patrick scored 15 consecutive podium finishes; he won the 2000 Skip Barber "Big Scholarship," but shockingly declined the $185,000, deciding to continue in British Formula Ford instead.

New London, Wisconsin

Background: Of this group of young drivers, only Grant Maiman and Bobby East do not have extensive competitive kart racing in their backgrounds. But that hasn't slowed Grant, who sold his beloved Jeep and Buick Grand National in 1997 in order to pay for a Skip Barber Three Day Racing School, with the goal of a professional racing career foremost in his mind. With no connections, no experience, and no money of any consequence, Grant still had the support of his Mom and Dad, a result of the vow his family made that "everyone should live the life they want"; two years earlier, his sister Brooke had died of a rare cancer at age 20.

Coto de Caza, California

Other Notables: 1997: Team Kool Green Academy and Team USA finalist; voted inaugural CART All-Star for Toyota Atlantic in 2000; he's an instructor for Derek Daly Racing School and private coach in CART Barber Dodge.

Reno, Nevada

Background: When a family friend invited Joel and his father to a CART race at Phoenix International Raceway, the kid was hooked. Joel bugged Dad for a kart incessantly - eight years! - and he finally relented. Racing never kept him from the books, however; Joel graduated with honors from high school, which helped him earn a full scholarship to the University of Nevada. But Joel is now winning poles and races on both sides of the pond (Palmer Audi in England, Formula Russell on the West Coast), with his eyes set on an entirely different kind of scholarship. A musician of no little talent, Joel has played bass with the Reno Philharmonic; he is also an instructor for Dr. Jonathan Palmer's corporate ride-and-drive and track events.

Deerfield Beach, Florida

Background: An honors student like Nelson, Scott had been a Florida karting star since 1993 before leaping onto the Skip Barber ladder system in 1999. His successes in the Formula Dodge Southern Series earned him a $45,000 scholarship to the 2002 National Formula Dodge championship, where Scott found himself in close battle with Grant Maiman for this year's title, until Maiman clinched in August. Scott's Dad, Ken, owns an auto repair shop while Ruth is, in Scott's words, "a housewife and the best Mom ever."

Kokomo, Indiana

Background: Boston's backstory reveals a father, Lynn, who wrenched on Champ cars, with famous racers Fred Gearhart, Wally Dallenbach and Jim McElreath all having driven for him. Reid has been blessed - or cursed, depending on your perspective - with the tag, "the next Jeff Gordon." Those in the know say that what Boston's shown in 2002 in his first venture into the big sprint cars points in that direction. Whether that's the case or not, the fact remains that Boston has been guided in recent years by Jeff Gordon's stepdad, John Bickford... Lynn now owns a Honda motorcycle dealership, and Boston's sister Brandie is in her third year of medical school at Indiana University.

Centerville, Ohio

Background: As a small boy, Bryan couldn't help but be intrigued by photographs of his Dad and uncles racing karts. Guess what Bryan saw under the Christmas tree when he was nine? ("Santa" figured that the kart could be used to keep Bryan "motivated" in school. Santa was right.) Bryan won a host of races and titles before stepping into Formula Dodge (1999) by virtue of winning one of Skip Barber's karting scholarships. He was victorious immediately, taking the Formula Dodge Midwest Region Championship in his rookie season. Bryan went to the Skip Barber National Formula Dodge series in 2000 and posted three wins, finishing second in the points chase. He sat out 2001, when the Zetec Formula Ford 2000 team he had signed with backed out of the series. By this year, Bryan was back in the championship - taking poles (5) and winning races (4) - and with two race weekends remaining (four races), he has a 27-point lead in the points standings.

Manteca, California

Background: Most of Scott's 19 years have been spent at the race track. At 4, he began to follow his Dad (Mike, an electrical engineer and owner of Speed Concepts, an electronics instrumentation outfit) around as he raced. By age 10, Scott was racing karts and within two years (1995) had won his first national title. Moving to shifter karts in 1997, he found more success: By 2001, Scott had won the prestigious 125cc SKUSA Super National title (the last of his seven national championships) for the second time. The reward for that was a Three-Day Jim Russell racing school, with a chance at winning its Graduate Run-off. Which he did. So all Scott did with that chance was race his way to the 2001 USAC Formula Russell title - and of course was the Rookie of the Year. Stepping up to the National Formula Dodge series for 2002, Speed was in the title hunt all year (until Grant Maiman clinched it in August), winning twice in 10 starts.

Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

Background: At 11, Bobby started racing karts with the help of his father, Bob. He started winning when, as Bobby puts it, "I could give usable feedback and make good judgments on set-up." By the time he was 15, Bobby was racing - and winning - in 125cc shifter karts. His 2001 shifter kart season was cut short by a bad accident, so Bobby's Dad purchased a Formula Ford 2000 car (Bobby went to work at the engine prep's shop in order to pay for the motor). His first race with the car? Pole and win. Second race? A second place, against pro teams who were using the regional race as preparation for their race the following weekend. Bobby Rahal and Wilson have struck up a relationship, after Rahal saw Wilson dominate two SKUSA ProMoto races; in Austin, Texas, and the noteworthy Norway, Illinois, event. Between the two, Wilson took four poles and won four races.