Round nine of the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup to thrill race fans on Saturday Indianapolis, IN (September 10, 2008) — It’s the biggest weekend yet for the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup as the series visits the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in support of the Red Bull Indy Grand Prix. There are two races involving the talented 13-to-16 year old motorcycle racers from North and South America on the Indianapolis schedule. The first is the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup race on Saturday, followed on Sunday by the highly anticipated Red Bull Riders Cup that sees the top ten in both the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup battle for supremacy at “The Brickyard.” While the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies may be the favorites since their series has been in existence a year longer than their counterparts, the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies feel they have a good shot to capture the cup at their “home” race. “I’ve seen them ride and they are very aggressive and very fast,” said Benny Soils, Jr., of his counterparts who race in Europe. “But we’re all kids and have the same bikes for this race. I know they are used to faster tracks and Indy really isn’t one of those. I’ll talk to my friends and help them out any way I can to be aggressive and fast, too. I also want to do well for myself and I will try to do my best. It’s a great opportunity to get to race in front of the MotoGP crowd again and I can’t wait.” Solis, of North Hollywood, Calif., has four Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup victories this season and leads the championship. Two-time race winner Hayden Gillim said he is looking forward to the challenge. “It should be really fun. The top ten of our series coming together with the top ten from the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup should make for an exciting race. From watching videos of their races, we know they will be fast and that they are aggressive and have a lot of skills. The Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies will have to go as hard as they can and yet be smart and consistent. We need to get as many of our guys as we can in the top ten. Besides the racing, it will be fun to meet the other Rookies. Maybe I’ll learn how to say some phrases in other languages this weekend. Laguna Seca was a lot of fun, but this should be even better with the 125cc and 250cc teams here. I will try to impress them and maybe it will pay off in a few years.” “We’ll have to see how fast the Europeans are and we’ll do our best to put in a good fight and hopefully bring home the Cup this weekend,” said Jake Gagne of Ramona, Calif., the winner of the Road Atlanta race. “I’m sure we’ll be rivals on the track but it will be fun to meet them and talk to them in the pits. Indy is a good circuit and I liked the track when we tested here in July but it rained. If rains this weekend, it might be good for us.” Argentina’s Leandro Mercado won the Road America race and has been a contender at most of the season’s events. He thinks the first-ever Riders Cup showdown is an opportunity for the racers to showcase their skills and he is confident his team will leave Indy with the Cup. “I don’t look at it like we might win or we could win. We’re gonna win,” said Mercado. “We will work as a team and do whatever it takes, in a good way, to win. The weekend is going to be really enjoyable and I am excited to see what the level of competition is. It doesn’t change my approach much that the race is not part of our championship because I am focused on finishing races, whether it be for a team or myself, and trying hard to get the most points I can. Racing the MotoGP weekend is great because we all watch the races on television and it is our dream. This time we get to see the 125cc and 250cc teams. I follow those series closely and it will be fun to see them in person.” Joining the four race winners on the Red Bull AMA U.S. squad are VIR pole-winner Tomas Puerta of Colombia, Joey Pascarella of Vacaville, Calif., Austin DeHaven of Los Angeles Calif., Road Atlanta pole-winner Emerson Connor of Burlington, Ontario, Can., Bryce Price of Bakersfield, Calif., and Huntley Nash of Marietta, Ga. “To me, the Riders Cup is a great opportunity for our kids to see how they compare to some of the fastest 125cc riders in the World,” said Riders Coach Kevin Schwantz. “It is going to be fun and a challenge. The European series has an extra year on us and they are doing a great job over there with their program. It’s going to be valuable for us to get the chance to share the weekend with them and we’ll be in the MotoGP spotlight again. I thought our kids did a great job of handling the pressure of Laguna Seca last time. I came away from that race thinking our guys performed like pros. If it were not for the great battle between Rossi and Stoner, our races might have been the most exciting ones of the weekend.” Schwantz feels the Riders Cup event is more than just a race, however. “Getting to socialize with other kids from around the world is a great learning experience for all of our kids. They’ll get to talk to some other riders and see what the level of competition is like,” the 1993 World Champion added. “The excitement the kids will bring to Indy will be something special.” The second Riders Cup event will be held in Valencia in October. Not to be overlooked, round nine of the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup will be the penultimate race of the 2008 season. Benny Solis leads the points battle by 34 points over Hayden Gillim and 35 over Leandro Mercado with just the Laguna Seca round following Indy. Solis can clinch the championship this weekend and cap off a brilliant season by winning the first Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup crown. “I want to keep it up on two wheels,” said Solis of Saturday’s race. “If I get on the podium, I might have more than a 25-point lead and don’t have to worry about it at Laguna. I’ve been concentrating on earning points after I didn’t score any at Road America earlier this year. I won four races and after Wisconsin, my main goal has been to get on the podium and take care of the championship. The other riders are going really fast so it isn’t easy.” Jake Gagne scored his first win at the last race in Georgia with a commanding performance. In just his first year of roadracing, Gagne has made the switch from motocross in a spectacular fashion. “I was happy to get a win and hope I can keep the momentum and get another finish up front,” said Jake. “I’m going to keep doing the same things I’ve been doing and hopefully stay up front in all of the races.” Hayden Gillim and his brother Frankie Lee live in nearby Owensboro, Ky. For them, Indy is much like a home event. “We’ll have a lot of family and friends there, and maybe it will help us go even faster,” said Hayden. Luciano Ribodino will not race as he continues to recover from injuries sustained in a crash at VIR. The MotoGP Rookies Cup riders will start the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup event in a second wave, which assures them of equal track time on the weekend. Red Bull Riders Cup Lineups Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Team 1. Benny SOLIS (USA) 2. Hayden GILLIM (USA) 3. Leandro MERCADO (ARG) 4. Jake GAGNE (USA) 5. Tomas PUERTA (COL) 6. Joey PASCARELLA (USA) 7. Austin DEHAVEN (USA) 8. Emerson CONNOR (CAN) 9. Bryce PRINCE (USA) 10. Huntley NASH (USA) Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Team 1. JD BEACH (USA) 2. Luis SALOM (ESP) 3. Sturla FAGERHAUG (NOR) 4. Nelson MAJOR (FRA) 5. Mathew SCHOLTZ (RSA) 6. Matthew HOYLE (GBR) 7. Daniel RUIZ (ESP) 8. Jakub KORNFEIL (CZE) 9. Florian MARINO (FRA) 10. Markus REITERBERGER (GER) Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Points (after eight races) 1. 35 Benny Solis, North Hollywood, California 156 points * 2. 69 Hayden Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 122* 3. 36 Leandro Mercado, Cordoba, Argentina 121* 4. 32 Jake Gagne, Ramona, California 97* 5. 12 Tomas Puerta, Medellin, Colombia 73* 6. 25 Joey Pascarella, Vacaville, California 66* 7. 56 Austin DeHaven, Los Angeles, California 61* 8. 50 Emerson Connor, Burlington, Ontario 52* 9. 74 Bryce Prince, Bakersfield, California 43* 10. 75 Huntley Nash, Marietta, Georgia 42* 11. 26 Toriano Wilson, St. Davids, Bermuda 40 12. 34 Corey Rech, Liverpool, New York 36 13. 31 Cameron Gish, Shingle Springs, California 35 14. 13 Jesse Stevens, Lawrenceville, Georgia 28 15. 66 Jake Morman, Loganville, Georgia 27 16. 95 Frankie Lee Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 26 17. 7 Austin Medrano, Mustang, Oklahoma 26 18. 94 Jacob Cunningham, Kimberly, Wisconsin 24 19. 23 Corey Alexander, Ossining, New York 18 20. 3 Travis Wyman, Macedon, New York 16 21. 11 Luciano Ribodino San Francisco, Cordoba, Argentina 6 22. 22 Garet Tomlinson, Aledo, Texas 4 23. 82 Otavio Lucchini, Jundiai, SP, Brazil 1 * denotes qualification for Riders Cup at Indianapolis