Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Benny Solis Jr. won a thrilling 11-lap duel with Leandro Mercado on April 20 to win the opening round of the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
Solis, from N. Hollywood, Calif., battled for first with Argentine Mercado before prevailing. Hayden Gillim, from Owensboro, Ky., finished third.
"I got a good start, and I was just pushing it, riding as hard as I could," Solis said. "I didn't know how fast we were going lap time-wise, but I think we were both giving it all we had. I'm really happy to be able to win our first Red Bull Rookies Cup race and do the burnout in front of all the fans."
Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup riders will race during the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 12-14 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Twenty-three young riders ages 13 to 16 are racing in the program in 2008.
Solis, 13, took the lead from Mercado, 16, on the first lap. But Mercado shadowed Solis for the rest of the event, taking the lead a few times. Both riders pushed their 125cc machines into the 1-minute, 33-second range per lap, breaking the 125cc track record.
But Mercado's bid for victory ended when he clipped the trackside grass in Turn 12 on the final lap.
"I was excited and pleased to be in the race today, and it was good fun going for the lead," Mercado said. "I tried very hard and ran just onto the grass at Turn 12. I got back on track without incident, but Benny was the winner. I'd like to thank him for the battle today."
Gillim took third after Joey Pascarella and Tomas Puerta crashed late in the race in separate incidents while chasing the final podium spot.
For more information on the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup, please visit www.redbullrookiescup.com and www.redbullusa.com/rookiescup.
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Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008.
Tickets can be purchased either online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time; on the phone by calling (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office on the first floor of the IMS Administration Building at 4790 W. 16th St. in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
All tickets for this event are three-day tickets, with both reserved and general admission seating available.
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