The Skip Barber Racing School, the Official Racing School of the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Mazda Road to Indy, has trained and developed racing talent for almost four decades, but in five days, it will open a whole new window of opportunity. 33 talented but as yet largely unknown drivers with dreams of a pro racing future will converge on Sebring International Raceway for the first annual Skip Barber IndyCar Academy shootout.
The winner of the shootout competition will receive a sponsored ride in either the 2013 summer or winter Skip Barber Regional Race Series presented by Mazda, with the opportunity to climb the Mazda Road to Indy ladder to the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Here is our final group of profiles of the contenders for this exciting new program, which gets under way today at Sebring.
Meet the 2012 Skip Barber IndyCar Academy Finalists, Part 5:
Michael Wu
Age: 27
Hometown: Woodbridge, Virginia
Occupation: Software Engineer
Q: When did your passion for racing begin?
A: When I saw it on TV when I was 8 years old and decided one day, I would do that. When it really clicked was watching Robby Gordon and Jacques Villeneuve go wheel to wheel at Cleveland in 1995.
Q: Did you ever think you would have the chance to go pro?
A: No way. I didn't grow up with money or any connections to racing. The Skip Barber Indy Car Academy is great because it helps people like me fulfill our dreams and get one step closer to pro racing!
Q: What was your first thought when you were contacted by a Skip Barber Racing School instructor to say you were in the running?
A: I thought it was a joke. I left the racing school thinking that there was no way I was even going to be considered so it was a shock to get that phone call
Q: If you could be any pro racecar driver in the world for one day, who would it be and why?
A: I would be Mario Andretti, because he got to race in several different eras and many different types of cars throughout his career, including front engine roadsters, rear engine formula cars, sprint cars, stock cars and sports cars. No modern day racers will ever be able to do that!
Michai Stephens
Age: 20
Hometown: Evanston, Illinois
Occupation: Construction
Q: When did your passion for racing begin?
A: My passion for racing goes as far back as i can honestly remember.
Q: Did you ever think you would have the chance to go pro?
A: I never believed I would have the chance to become a professional racing driver, even though I thought about it every day. That is why this opportunity is so very important to me.
Q: Describe your everyday life: job, school, family.
A: When not working construction five days out of the week, my life consists of sharing quality time with my family, friends and thinking about the dream to race. At the moment I am taking time away from my studies at Arizona State University where I major in industrial design. For the first time in my life I am pursuing a path I am most passionate about while doing my best to enjoy it.
Q: What was your first thought when you were contacted by a Skip Barber Racing School instructor to say you were in the
running?
A: The feelings that arose from within me are indescribable. I had never felt like that before in my life. When I received the news it wasn't just simply words being spoken instead it was music to my ears.
Q: If you could be any pro racecar driver in the world for one day, who would it be and why?
A: In my mind Lewis Hamilton stands apart from all the rest. I admire his passion and respect for the sport. I also appreciate the bond he shares with his father, a bond a lot like the one I share with mine. His rise to the top of Formula 1 has become a source of inspiration for me as I pursue my dream.
Reza Kianersi
Age: 29
Hometown: Fresno, California
Occupation: Engine Tuner
Q: When did your passion for racing begin?
A: When I was only a few years old my father would put me on his lap while driving and let me hold the steering wheel. It was a great feeling and I was obsessed. I could not wait to do it again and after a few tries I learned to drive straight. I felt something back then, the passion had ignited.
Q: Did you ever think you would have the chance to go pro?
A: Absolutely! I dreamed about being a pro race car driver every day. Over the years I had learned that it doesn't matter if the world doesn't believe in you, it only matters that you do. You have to believe first in order to get there and you can't quit because quitters do not achieve anything.
Q: What was your first thought when you were contacted by a Skip Barber Racing School instructor to say you were in the running?
A: It is impossible to explain, all I have to say is that it was the best phone call I have ever received.
Sebastian Cedeno
Age: 24
Hometown: Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador
Occupation: Floor Specialist
Q: When did your passion for racing begin?
A: It began back in 2001. I started to watch Formula 1 races and they were interesting, so I did some research about the sport, and the more I read about it and watched videos about amazing drives by Ayrton Senna, it became a passion, and the idea to become a professional race driver started to be in my head, it became a dream like a little kid has when it wants to become an astronaut when he grows up, but for me was to become a race driver.
Q: Did you ever think you would have the chance to go pro?
A: That was my plan when coming to the States (my parents didn't know), it was my main motivation, to come here and become a professional race driver, I didn't know how to or where, but I found the best opportunity to do so here at the Indycar Academy.
Q: Describe your everyday life: job, school, family. 
A: I have a regular job like anyone else, I wake up very early, I have breakfast and then off to work. Lately we've been getting a lot of work, so we are working till late in the evening or even weekends. When I get home, I eat dinner with my family and then I try to relax listening to music and sometimes I get some racing done in iRacing.com
Q: What was your first thought when you were contacted by a Skip Barber Racing School instructor to say you were in the running?
A: When I looked at my cellphone, I saw a call coming from Georgia, and immediately it came to my mind, this must be from Skip Barber (getting excited there) when I answered the phone the guy told me its from Skip Barber and asked me: do you know why I'm calling you for? In my mind I was thinking: Oh God, is this what I think it is he is calling me for? Thank you God! And then he told me I was chosen as one of the candidates for the shootout! I was jumping of joy telling all my family about it, and after the emotions settled in, I thought: my dream is one step closer on becoming a reality, so I must start to race as much as I can, work on getting fit and to get ready for the big challenge ahead of me.
Q: If you could be any pro racecar driver in the world for one day, who would it be and why?
A: Ayrton Senna. The passion and the ability to drive any race car faster than anyone else at the limit, is what many drivers try to copy, some will get close, but his style, his charisma will never be surpassed by anyone.