SOLIS EARNS FIRST RED BULL AMA U.S. ROOKIES CUP POLE
Leeds, Alabama (April 19, 2008) -- The first-ever Red Bull
AMA U.S. Rookies Cup race weekend got off to a fabulous start
at sunny Barber Motorsports Park on Saturday. Benny Solis,
Jr., of North Hollywood, Calif., won the first-ever pole
position for the class. Joining the 13-year-old on the front
row are fellow Rookies Leandro Mercado, Joey Pascarella,
and Toriano Wilson.
Solis, Jr., was less than one-tenth of a second quicker than
his closest competition, setting the mark of 1:34.616 on
his KTM RC 125 as the checkered flag flew. "I got a
tow from two of my friends and I just put my head down and
did the best I could," said Benny. "This is the
first race so I was really excited to see my number on top
of the scoring pylon."
Leandro Mercado of Argentina nearly caught Solis and finished
with a lap of 1:34.726. 16-year-old "Tati" said, "It
was hard to get in the rhythm of qualifying. I overshot a
couple of corners, but towards the end I got it down. I hope
to do the same tomorrow in the race."
Joey Pascarella of Vacaville, Calif., was third quickest.
15-year-old Pascarella was the fastest in the morning practice
session and added a strong qualifying performance as well. "I
picked up the pace towards the end and went as hard as I
could. I had a little problem with the bike slipping around,
but apart from that, everything was perfect. I was giving
the best I could and the other guys were so fast … I
was hoping to get on the front row and I did."
Toriano Wilson has been very quick in testing and the Bermuda
native was less than 0.3 seconds behind pole position, making
for a fast front row. He earned his starting spot with the
help of a drafting partner, he said. "I was slowing
down and trying to find a tow and I saw Benny. I tried to
keep up with him but he was very fast," said Toriano,
14-years old.
The second row of the grid is equally filled with talented
riders. Tomas Puerta of Medellin, Colombia; Hayden Gillim
of Owensboro, Ky.; Corey Rech of Liverpool, NY; and Austin
DeHaven of Los Angeles, Calif., earned the fourth through
eighth starting spots.
Jesse Stevens of Lawrenceville, Ga., crashed early in the
morning practice and did not ride in qualifying, but hopes
to race on Sunday.
Rider Coach Kevin Schwantz was impressed by the Rookies on
Saturday. "Benny put in his fastest lap on the final
time around as the checkered flag came out. I think it shows
it wasn't decided to the very end and it was quite exciting.
I think it shows what the Rookies Cup is all about," he
said. "Hopefully we'll have a good race and everyone
thinks we will."
The Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup 11-lap race begins Sunday
at 11:00 a.m. local time.
Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup - Qualifying Times - Barber
Motorsports Park
1. 35 Benny Solis, North Hollywood, California 1:34.616
2. 36 Leandro Mercado, Cordoba, Argentina 1:34.700
3. 25 Joey Pascarella, Vacaville, California 1:34.726
4. 26 Toriano Wilson, St. Davids, Bermuda 1:34.895
5. 2 Tomas Puerta, Medellin Colombia 1:35.355
6. 69 Hayden Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 1:36.020
7. 34 Corey Rech, Liverpool, New York 1:36.224
8. 56 Austin DeHaven, Los Angeles, California 1:36.265
9. 74 Bryce Prince, Bakersfield, California 1:36.278
10. 31 Cameron Gish, Shingle Springs, California 1:36.330
11. 11 Luciano Ribodino, San Francisco, Argentina 1:36.654
12. 75 Huntley Nash, Marietta, Georgia 1:36.817
13. 3 Travis Wyman, Macedon, New York 1:37.147
14. 95 Frankie Lee Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 1:37.325
15. 7 Austin Medrano, Mustang, Oklahoma 1:37.399
16. 32 Jake Gagne, Ramona California 1:37.618
17. 50 Emerson Conner, Burlington, Ontario 1:37.690
18. 82 Otavio Lucchini, Jundiai, SP, Brazil 1:37.701
19. 22 Garet Tomlinson, Aledo, Texas 1:37.720
20. 66 Jake Morman, Loganville, Georgia 1:38.106
21. 94 Jacob Cunningham, Kimberly, Wisconsin 1:38.106
22. 23 Corey Alexander, Ossining, New York 1:39.210
23. 13 Jesse Stevens, Lawrenceville, Georgia No time
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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