Braselton, Ga. (August 29, 2008) — The Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup returns to action at Road Atlanta this weekend. Up for grabs is a shot at the Riders Cup, a series of two races at Indianapolis and Valencia that will see the top ten Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies take on their counterparts from the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. The line-up for the Rookies will be determined after this weekend’s race, placing even more importance on the weekend. The series for the brightest young motorcycle racing stars in North and South America will race with a heavy heart as this is the first race after the passing of Toriano Wilson, a talented racer and good friend to all. Luciano Ribodino was also injured in the crash and continues to recover. “We’re without two of our fellow competitors this weekend in Toriano Wilson and Luciano Ribodino. What happened has made a deep impact on all of us,” said Rider Coach Kevin Schwantz. “We’re all trying to recover from the tragedy. Our deepest condolences go out to Toriano’s family, friends, and fans. We also give ‘Lucho’ our best wishes as he goes through his recovery. We will race this weekend like Toriano would have wanted, but we’ll do so with both Toriano and ‘Lucho’ in our thoughts.” The Road Atlanta circuit will prove to be a challenging one for the Rookies and the circuit will add to that. The track has it all, long straights, heavy braking zones, and technical sections that promote passing and close racing — something the Rookies Cup has seen plenty of this year. The Road Atlanta circuit has been revised for this race. Most notably, track officials have changed the final turn at the 2.54-mile circuit to increase safety. Three Rookies hail from the greater Atlanta area, Jake Morman, Huntley Nash, and Jesse Stevens. Huntley Nash of Marietta, Ga., has shown flashes in what is his first full season of racing. He has shown plenty of speed in the races and his season has been a challenge for consistency and putting it all together. “Hunt” earned fourth place in Wisconsin and has other top-ten results to his credit. He is one of the riders in contention to earn one of the final spots in the Riders Cup. Nash says he wants to make his home event his best one this season. “It’s exciting to race in front of my family and friends, and hopefully I can put it on the box or at least get a top five this weekend,” said the 16-year-old. “Lately, I have been qualifying better and I hope to see that trend continue. This is really my first year racing and learning how to be a better racer has been my goal. I’m used to the KTM RC 125 and once I got some idea on the setup, it’s going better. I have learned how to communicate what I need with my mechanic and we’ve gotten some good results. I’ll really be pushing hard to get it done again this weekend.” Jesse Stevens of Lawrenceville, Ga., says he’s learned a lot this year in the Rookies Cup. Stevens’ season started out to be a trying one after a Barber crash but Stevens has been steadily improving throughout the season. The 16-year-old is one of the riders fighting for a spot in the Riders Cup this weekend. “We’re all good friends off the track but it’s a battle royale out there on the track,” said Jess. “It would definitely be cool for me to make the Riders Cup because I know (Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup champion) J.D. Beach and it would be fun to race him, and it would be great to meet some of the other kids, too. I think it will take more than just a top ten to get in the Riders Cup, which for me is possible at this track. It’s my home circuit but a lot of the other guys have been there too, so that should make it interesting.” Jake Morman of Loganville, Ga., missed the last round due to injury from a non-Rookies Cup event, but the popular teen is ready for action at his home race. “I’m feeling really good, I got the stitches out of my hand and I am super stoked to get back out there,” said the 14-year-old. “I’ll have a lot of family and friends at the race and I want to get a top-five, for sure. Road Atlanta is a really good track. I like the way it flows and it has some nice off-camber turns that are challenging. There should be a lot of passing going on. I have checked out the new section and it looks like a turn I would like, a lot of hard braking down the hill.” Schwantz feels the Rookies Cup line-up being determined after this race will affect the way the Rookies approach the weekend. “We have quite a few Rookies that can earn one of the Riders Cup slots with a good result at Road Atlanta,” said the Rookies Cup Riders Coach. “I think we’ll have more riders concerned about the points more than ever. We have a tight spread for those last couple of spots. It will be a challenging race. Some of the Rookies have some experience here but they have never ridden the track on these bikes and the circuit is also a bit different.” Benny Solis of North Hollywood, Calif., leads the series point race over Leandro Mercado of Argentina. Solis has a 32-point margin with just three races to go. Hayden Gillim (Owensboro, Ky.) has risen to challenge Mercado for second pace after two consecutive wins at Mid-Ohio and VIR. Gillim has closed to within six points of Mercado. The Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup race will be held on Sunday at noon local time. Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Points (after seven races) 1. 35 Benny Solis, North Hollywood, California 140 points 2. 36 Leandro Mercado, Cordoba, Argentina 108 3. 69 Hayden Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 102 4. 32 Jake Gagne, Ramona, California 74 5. 12 Tomas Puerta, Medellin, Colombia 63 6. 56 Austin DeHaven, Los Angeles, California 61 7. 25 Joey Pascarella, Vacaville, California 56 8. 50 Emerson Connor, Burlington, Ontario 52 9. 74 Bryce Prince, Bakersfield, California 43 10. 26 Toriano Wilson, St. Davids, Bermuda 40 11. 34 Corey Rech, Liverpool, New York 40 12. 75 Huntley Nash, Marietta, Georgia 31 13. 13 Jesse Stevens, Lawrenceville, Georgia 28 14. 31 Cameron Gish, Shingle Springs, California 27 15. 95 Frankie Lee Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 25 16. 7 Austin Medrano, Mustang, Oklahoma 24 17. 66 Jake Morman, Loganville, Georgia 22 18. 94 Jacob Cunningham, Kimberly, Wisconsin 17 19. 3 Travis Wyman, Macedon, New York 13 20. 23 Corey Alexander, Ossining, New York 12 21. 11 Luciano Ribodino San Francisco, Cordoba, Argentina 6 22. 22 Garet Tomlinson, Aledo, Texas 4 23. 82 Otavio Lucchini, Jundiai, SP, Brazil 1 For more information on the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup, please visit www.redbullrookiescup.com and www.redbullusa.com/rookiescup.