Alton, Virginia — The Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup will race at Virginia International Raceway this weekend. It’s the seventh round of the series for the hottest 13-to-16-year old racing talent in North and South America and the Caribbean. A maximum of 25 points are up for grabs in the championship fight at the scenic circuit in Alton, Va., as the inaugural season builds to a crescendo. It’s more than just a championship at stake, as the Rookies are battling for a spot in the Red Bull Riders Cup, which will pit the top ten US riders versus their counterparts in the MotoGP Rookies Cup at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP with a rematch in Valencia, Spain. With just the VIR and Road Atlanta races to go before the line-up for the Riders Cup will be determined, the time is now for the Rookies to score points and solidify their spot amongst the elite. Hayden Gillim of Owensboro, Ky., won the last race at Mid-Ohio with a dominating performance, but broke his collarbone while racing in another series last weekend. Gillim had surgery to get the injured bone plated and will decide if he is going to race at the track on Saturday. “I had the surgery and am sore right now, but I am going to VIR and will see how I feel Saturday morning,” said Gillim. “I have a little incision and swelling but the surgery is done.” Benny Solis leads the Rookies Cup points chase. Solis has a 23-point lead going into the VIR weekend. The 13-year-old from North Hollywood, Calif., has earned four race wins this year and leads the championship over Argentine racer Leandro Mercado and Gillim. Tomas Puerta (Medellin, Colombia) and Jake Gagne (Ramona, Calif.) are tied for fourth place with 62 points. “The championship is always on my mind but my real goal is to get a podium at the rest of the races,” said Solis. “I’ve never seen the track before but these types of tracks seem to suit me. I learned racing on go-kart tracks so the tight stuff has come natural. Hayden won the last time out so I want to stay in front of him and Leandro because it’s important to finish in front of them for the championship.” The VIR circuit should be a great challenge for the young racers. The 17-turn, 2.25-mile track requires the fast racers to be inch perfect as the corners aren’t attacked in an individual manner but as a sequence of turns with each one affecting the next. It should play well with the Rookies Cup’s tendency for tight, close racing. Loganville, Ga., racer Jake Morman will not compete at VIR. The popular racer nicknamed “Squirrel” injured his hand at a race last weekend in a non-Rookies Cup event. Riders Coach Kevin Schwantz says he can see successes in the Rookies Cup. “Now that we have some time in, we can see the progress the riders are making. At the Mid-Ohio race, we were really able to see just how far every rider has come. There were a lot of crashes and red flags in the other classes that weekend, but our boys put on a great race with no crashes and everyone’s lap times were within about 2.5 seconds. The riders are maturing and we’re put on a great show for the fans.” For those considering applying for the ’09 Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup at www.redbullrookiescup.com, the deadline is Friday, August 15. The VIR Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup race is scheduled for 11 AM on Sunday morning. Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Points (after six races) 1. 35 Benny Solis, North Hollywood, California 120 points 2. 36 Leandro Mercado, Cordoba, Argentina 97 3. 69 Hayden Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 77 4. 12 Tomas Puerta, Medellin, Colombia 62 5. 32 Jake Gagne, Ramona, California 62 6. 25 Joey Pascarella, Vacaville, California 55 7. 56 Austin DeHaven, Los Angeles, California 53 8. 26 Toriano Wilson, St. Davids, Bermuda 40 9. 50 Emerson Connor, Burlington, Ontario 39 10. 74 Bryce Prince, Bakersfield, California 27 11. 31 Cameron Gish, Shingle Springs, California 27 12. 34 Corey Rech, Liverpool, New York 26 13. 7 Austin Medrano, Mustang, Oklahoma 24 14. 13 Jesse Stevens, Lawrenceville, Georgia 24 15. 75 Huntley Nash, Marietta, Georgia 22 16. 95 Frankie Lee Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 22 17. 66 Jake Morman, Loganville, Georgia 22 18. 23 Corey Alexander, Ossining, New York 12 19. 94 Jacob Cunningham, Kimberly, Wisconsin 10 20. 3 Travis Wyman, Macedon, New York 8 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.