By alley - Sep 29, 2014, 10:44 AM ET

Stephens, Telitz chosen to represent Team USA Scholarship in England

After intense deliberations, Aaron Telitz of Birchwood, Wis. (pictured at above right), and Michai Stephens (at left) of Evanston, Ill., were named Monday as winners of prestigious Team USA Scholarships for 2014. The pair will travel to England next month to carry the patriotic red, white and blue colors in the traditional Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch on Oct. 25-26 and Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone on Nov. 1-2.

They were chosen from a group of six candidates – like the two winners, all Skip Barber racing alumni – who took part in a shootout aboard Allen Berg Racing Schools FR1600 cars at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., on September 8. The other finalists were Ben Auriemma, from Manhasset, N.Y., Tristan DeGrand, from St. Louis, Mo., Garth Rickards, from Mechanicsburg, Pa., and Kenton Koch, from Glendora, Calif.

The panel of judges included former Team USA Scholarship winners Neil Alberico and Brett Smrz; two-time Rolex Sports Car Series champion Alex Gurney; ex-F1 driver Allen Berg; David Cook, Business Development Manager, Mazda North American Operations; veteran IndyCar/Indy Lights team owner Jack McCormack; RACER Magazine founder Paul Pfanner; accomplished race engineer Geoff Fickling; and World Speed Motorsports team owner Telo Stewart.

"It was a difficult decision and there were many factors which needed to be taken into account," said Team USA Scholarship President Jeremy Shaw, who founded the program in 1990. "All of the six candidates can be proud of their efforts; each has what it takes to forge a successful career in this sport. I want to thank my fellow judges for their considerable input and everyone within the North American racing industry for making this program possible."

Telitz, who won rookie-of-the-year honors in the 2014 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, and Stephens, a standout from the Skip Barber Racing School Summer Series, will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Jimmy Vasser, who secured the first Team USA Scholarship in 1990, Bryan Herta (1991), Buddy Rice (1997), Andy Lally (1999), A.J. Allmendinger (2001), Charlie Kimball (2003), J.R. Hildebrand (2005), Dane Cameron (2006), Josef Newgarden and Conor Daly (2008), Spencer Pigot (2010/2011), and Tristan Nunez and Matthew Brabham (2012).

"It is a huge honor and achievement to be chosen as a winner of the Team USA Scholarship," said Telitz. "Not only do I now have the opportunity to race in Europe, I get to do it representing the United States of America. If you look at the history of previous winners of the Team USA Scholarship you'll see there are some big shoes to fill. I look forward to the challenge and learning as much as I can during this awesome experience."

"Being selected to represent the Team USA Scholarship in 2014 is mind-boggling to me," added Stephens. "I will forever cherish this honor with the understanding that with great opportunity comes greater responsibility. I encourage everyone who has a vision to go out there and take it! My dream will be taking me as far away from my home as anyone in my family has ever gone. I look forward to taking full advantage of this opportunity and the many others that may lie ahead."

Michai Stephens, pictured here with his father (right) during the 2014 Summer Series Race Weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park, won the INDYCAR Academy in 2013.

Stephens began his motorsports career in 2012 by participating in the first Skip Barber INDYCAR Academy shootout held in Sebring, Florida. The Skip Barber INDYCAR Academy is designed to provide aspiring racers without prior racing experience the opportunity to launch a career in motorsports. In the Academy, drivers are tested in equally-prepared cars on a demanding circuit. Racers applied for the Academy after graduating from a three-day Skip Barber Formula Car Racing School and are required to follow that training with an Advanced Two Day Racing School. Past participants included students, U.S. military personnel, salesmen, doctors and Olympic gold medalists.

In 2012 INDYCAR Academy, Stephens finished fourth. Determined to make his dream happen, Stephens shook his defeat off and decided to restart the process. In 2013, he took another 3-Day Racing School and enrolled in the 2013 Indycar Academy Shootout. This time, Stephens emerged as the champion. Michai garnered the fastest lap time and lowest average time in six of the eight sessions to earn a sponsored ride in the Skip Barber formula race series in 2014. Stephen’s success is a testament to Skip Barber’s system of providing talented drivers an opportunity to pursue their racing dreams regardless of finances.“If I had to pick one thing or moment that stood above the rest,” said Stephens recalling his first time in a Skip Barber racecar, “I would have to say was the pure enjoyment of being able to live out my dream.”Stephens’ scholarship winnings allowed him to participate in the 2014 Skip Barber Summer Series. He is now in championship contention in the series, with only 9 points separating him and 2013 Karts to Cars Scholarship winner Australian Luke Gabin. The series only has two race weekends left before the champion will be crowned.Telitz won the 2013 Skip Barber Race Series Championship Shootout after coming back from placing 3rd place in the 2012 Championship Shootout and a second-place finish in the 2012-'13 Winter Series."The Skip Barber Racing School team is ecstatic about the TEAM USA Scholarship selection of Aaron Telitz and Michai Stephens to represent our country on the world stage," said Skip Barber CEO Michael Culver. "Skip Barber sees the very best talent in open-wheel racing and Telitz and Stephens are no exception. The two came from different backgrounds. Telitz came to us through his experience in karting and Stephens came to us with no experience in motorsports, but within a year in our system, both racers are now champions. All of us at Skip Barber Racing School wish them the very best. They will do justice to American motorsports!"