Elkhart Lake, WI (June 5, 2008) – The Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup returns to action this weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin in support of the AMA Superbike series. Some of the hottest young roadracing talent from North and South America and the Caribbean will venture to the scenic 4.0-mile circuit known for its European feel and blend of fast straights, hard braking areas, and almost every conceivable type of turn. The 22 Rookies (Argentine racer Luciano Ribodino will miss the race due to injury) will qualify Saturday and race on Sunday morning. Benny Solis (13 years old) from North Hollywood, Calif., has won both of the season’s races so far and has scored a perfect 50 points to lead the championship. He’s looking for a three-peat to start the season. While Solis had a sizeable gap in his Infineon Raceway win, both Rookies Cup races so far have seen intense battles at the front. The Barber Motorsports Park race in Leeds, Ala., saw Leandro Mercado push Solis the entire distance as the two racers kept setting the mark for the quickest lap of the event. In Sonoma, Mercado led Solis and Hayden Gillim in a three-way battle at the front. Mercado crashed, collecting Gillim, while Solis was able to make it through and rode to the victory. “I never thought it would go this good for me,” said Solis. “Both races were very different. The first race at Barber I was in the lead almost all the time and Leandro (Mercado) was pressuring me. The second race at Infineon, I qualified seventh but I got to up to third on the start and I had to pass Hayden (Gillim), so it was a different type of race where I had to come from behind. I’ve never been to Road America but it looks cool. I learned Barber and Infineon quickly so I’ll try to do the same at Road America. I think it will be important to qualify on the front row because it might be hard to pass and you don’t want anyone getting away at the start.” Jake Cunningham from nearby Kimberly, Wis., is the local rider at this event. Cunningham (14 years old) is a former dirt track champion. He earned a top-ten result at Infineon in the last event. “I’m getting used to racing on the asphalt as opposed to dirt track and it is a lot of fun. I love dirt track but I think I like roadracing better,” said JC. “Being close to home, it makes it a little more important for me this weekend. I’ll have a lot of family and friends around and I want to do well at my home track. I’ve ridden at Road America once in the short time I have been roadracing and it is an awesome circuit with lots of room for passing. The high-speed tracks are more fun for me and this is one of my favorites. The goal this weekend is to get my game straight and hopefully make the top-five.” Jake Gagne from Ramona, Calif., has seen steady progress in his season. His specialties were Supermoto and motocross before being selected for the Red Bull Rookies Cup and he’s done a good job of transitioning to roadracing. Jake has gained speed while keeping his bike on two wheels. He finished seventh at the last race in California. “It’s going great for me so far,” said Gagne, 14 years old. “I’m improving in every race and every session, which is my goal. I’m looking to get in the top-ten in all the sessions and then see where it goes from there. I don’t have a lot of experience roadracing so I’ve been trying to learn about things like tire wear and what the changes to the bike do. I’ve never raced at Road America but I’ve watched some of the previous races to learn about the track. It looks like a high-speed track so I think the key will be to get a good tuck on the long straight.” The 60-kilometer Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup race begins at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday. The Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup series, in its inaugural year, was created by and is managed by Red Bull as a platform for showcasing young roadracing talent between 13 and 16 years old, on identical KTM RC 125 machines. Seven states and six nations are represented amongst the 23 riders. Former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz is the series’ Rider Coach. The Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup runs concurrently with the European-based Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, now in its second year. Applications are now being accepted at www.redbullrookiescup.com for the 2009 Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup season for riders born between January 1, 1992 and December 31, 1995. Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup – Points Standings (after Round 2) 1. 35 Benny Solis, North Hollywood, California 50 points 2. 56 Austin DeHaven, Los Angeles, California 26 T3. 12 Tomas Puerta, Medellin, Colombia 20 T3. 36 Leandro Mercado, Cordoba, Argentina 20 T5. 69 Hayden Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 16 T5. 95 Frankie Lee Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 16 T5. 7 Austin Medrano, Mustang, Oklahoma 16 8. 74 Bryce Prince, Bakersfield, California 15 T9. 26 Toriano Wilson, St. Davids, Bermuda 13 T9. 32 Jake Gagne, Ramona California 13 11. 34 Corey Rech, Liverpool, New York 11 12. 25 Joey Pascarella, Vacaville, California 10 13. 75 Huntley Nash, Marietta, Georgia 9 T14. 50 Emerson Connor, Burlington, Ontario 7 T14. 31 Cameron Gish, Shingle Springs, California 7 T16. 66 Jake Morman, Loganville, Georgia 6 T16. 94 Jacob Cunningham, Kimberly, Wisconsin 6 T16. 11 Luciano Ribodino, San Francisco, Argentina 6 19. 13 Jesse Stevens, Lawrenceville, Georgia 5 20. 22 Garet Tomlinson, Aledo, Texas 4 21. 23 Corey Alexander, Ossining, New York 2 T22. 82 Otavio Lucchini, Jundiai, SP, Brazil 1 T22. 3 Travis Wyman, Macedon, New York 1