Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California July 18, 2008 Provisional Qualifying Results (all on KTM RC125s and Dunlop tires): 1. Leandro Mercado, 1:36.189 2. Tomas Puerta, 1:36.496 3. Benny Solis, 1:36.606 4. Hayden Gillim, 1:37.063 5. Austin DeHaven, 1:37.740 6. Austin Medrano, 1:37.766 7. Bryce Prince, 1:38.144 8. Travis Wyman, 1:38.249 9. Joey Pascarella, 1:38.274 10. Jake Gagne, 1:38.368 11. Corey Rech, 1:38.673 12. Jake Cunningham, 1:38.737 13. Luciano Ribodino, 1:39.328 14. Jesse Stevens, 1:39.422 15. Emerson Connor, 1:39.600 16. Cameron Gish 1:39.642 17. Corey Alexander, 1:39.735 18. Frankie Lee Gillim, 1:39.797 20. Huntley Nash, 1:40.072 21. Jake Morman, 1:40.074 22. Garet Tomlinson, 1:40.158 23. Otavio Lucchini, 1:41.713 24. Toriano Wilson, no time recorded More, from a press release issued by Red Bull: MERCADO FASTEST IN RED BULL AMA U.S. ROOKIES CUP PROVISIONAL LAGUNA SECA QUALIFYING Monterey, Calif. (July 18, 2008) –The opening day of qualifying for the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup saw an array of riders take their turn at the top, but Leandro Mercado emerged as the fastest on Friday in the first of two qualifying sessions at the Red Bull United States Grand Prix in sunny Monterey, Calif. The rider from Argentina set the provisional pole position on his last lap of the session to better Benny Solis of North Hollywood, Calif., Tomas Puerta of Colombia, and Hayden Gillim from Owensboro, Ky. Mercado, the winner of the Elkhart Lake race, set a best time of 1:36.189. “It was a good session,” said the 16-year-old. “My bike worked well and the condition of the track was fast. I set my best time on the final lap. I think it’s important to be on pole position here because of the advantage it gives you on the start. Tomorrow, we’ll have a great race. My goal is the championship, but I would like to win my second race in a row!” Tomas Puerta led the session and eventually finished second when Mercado went quicker. The 15-year-old Puerta showed a strong pace throughout the session. Afterward, he said, “I am very happy. In the qualifying I was fast and I had the best time near the end, but all of the top riders were going quickly and the order kept changing. I feel good about the race and I am very excited for tomorrow’s qualifying as well.” Benny Solis was third quickest. The two-time race winner challenged for the top spot before falling just short of provisional pole. “I was pretty pleased with the session but I see room for improvement,” said the 13-year-old. “I need to work on a couple of turns, plus I need to work on tucking in at some spots. My mechanic told me I looked like a chicken out there. My plan is to do the same as Barber — try to move toward the front quickly and then ride the best I can.” Hayden Gillim was also quick in the session and also proved himself a contender for the two Rookies Cup races this weekend. Gillim posted similar times with the leaders until he dropped back late in the 30-minute qualifying period. Gillim was fourth quickest with a best time of 1:37.063 to earn a spot on the provisional front row. Austin DeHaven of Los Angeles, Calif., Austin Medrano of Mustang, Okla., Bryce Prince of Bakersfield, Calif., and Travis Wyman of Macedon, N.Y., qualified on the provisional second row. The second qualifying session of the weekend is scheduled for 11:45 AM local time on Saturday, with the first race set for 3:45 PM. Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup – Qualifying 1. 36 Leandro Mercado, Cordoba, Argentina 1:36.189 2. 12 Tomas Puerta, Medellin, Colombia 1:36.496 3. 35 Benny Solis, North Hollywood, California 1:36.606 4. 69 Hayden Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 1:37.063 5. 56 Austin DeHaven, Los Angeles, California 1:37.740 6. Austin Medrano, Mustang, Oklahoma 1:37.766 7. 74 Bryce Prince, Bakersfield, California 1:38.144 8. 3 Travis Wyman, Macedon, New York 1:38.249 9. Joey Pascarella, Vacaville, California 1:38.274 10. 32 Jake Gagne, Ramona, California 1:38.367 11. 34 Corey Rech, Liverpool, New York 1:38.673 12. 94 Jacob Cunningham, Kimberly, Wisconsin 1:38.737 13. Luciano Ribdino, San Francisco, Cordoba, Argentina 1:39.328 14. 13 Jesse Stevens, Lawrenceville, Georgia 1:39.422 15. 50 Emerson Connor, Burlington, Ontario 1:39.600 16. 31 Cameron Gish, Shingle Springs, California 1:39.642 17. 23 Corey Alexander, Ossining, New York 1:39.735 18. 95 Frankie Lee Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 1:39.797 19. 75 Huntley Nash, Marietta, Georgia 1:40.072 20. 66 Jake Morman, Loganville, Georgia 1:40.073 21. 22 Garet Tomlinson, Aledo, Texas 1:40.157 22. 82 Otavio Lucchini, Jundiai, SP, Brazi 1:41.714 23. 26 Toriano Wilson, St. Davids, Bermuda No Time 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 125s. 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. For more information on the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup, please visit www.redbullrookiescup.com and www.redbullusa.com/rookiescup.