Leandro Mercado of Argentina won the thrilling Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, winning a shootout with Jake Gagne of Ramona, Calif.
In a race filled with passing and drama throughout the field, 13-year-old Benny Solis of North Hollywood, Calif., wrapped up the inaugural Red Bull AMA U.S.
Rookies Cup championship with his fifth place finish, even though title rival Hayden Gillim made a brilliant move going into the last turn to take third place in the race.
Mercado took the lead in both ends of the red-flagged race, and in each leg Gagne chased the Rookie that beat him in the Elkhart Lake race earlier this year. Mercado took a solid lead of more than two seconds but the slow-starting Gagne began to run down the Rookie from Argentina. Gagne set the fastest lap of the race at 1:33.894 on lap 13, but Mercado responded with a 1:34.047 on the same lap. Gagne, in his first year of roadracing, lowered the gap to just over a half second in the closing laps, but Mercado responded and won the race by 1.192 seconds.
"I worked through the whole week to have a good weekend," said Mercado, who finished third in the championship. "Everything went as planned. I got a good time in qualifying and won the pole, and then I got a really good start. After the red flag, I wanted to get another good start and I did. It was an awesome race and I'm really, really happy."
After the race started, I really didn't get a good start but I tried to catch up," said Gagne. "I tried to come through the pack as good as I could and I pushed as hard as I could. It wasn't quite enough but I was able to get some good laps in."
The battle for third place had an impact on the championship as well. With a bold move, Gillim, a 13-year-old from Owensboro, Ky., went from fifth place to third in the last corner, then held off Austin DeHaven of Los Angeles, Calif., and Solis for the final podium position.
"With 'Tati' winning, I knew I had to get third place in the race to keep second place in the championship," said Gillim, who won two races this season.
For Solis, his championship season saw him win four races and develop a large points lead. The second-generation racer rode aggressively throughout the season and proved his skills in the ten race series as he won the title by 11 points. Solis was surprised with a KTM 125 motocross bike, presented by 2008 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup champion JD Beach.
"Last year when we went to the Selection Event, it was like a dream come true to make it to the second day," said Solis. "I was aiming for the top ten in the Championship but then after getting pole at [the first race at] Barber, I thought maybe I had a chance at this. Ever since then, my confidence has been boosted up and I've been trying to do my best all year. I ended up with four wins and a couple of podiums. I am really happy with how things have gone and it's been a fantastic year."
Tomas Puerta of Colombia took sixth place as he crossed the line right on the tail of Benny's KTM RC 125 and Jesse Stevens of Lawrenceville, Ga., earned his best result of the year with his seventh place finish.
Despite an ailing hand from his Indianapolis crash, Joey Pascarella of Vacaville, Calif., took ninth place ahead of fellow Californian Bryce Prince of Bakersfield.
Austin Medrano of Mustang, Okla., was a contender early on. He highsided while contesting for the podium just before the halfway point of the race, bringing out the red flag. Austin was unhurt and wanted to continue, but his bike was too badly damaged to go on.
Huntley Nash wrapped up the tenth and final spot for the Red Bull Riders Cup. Nash earned one point with a 15th place finish, the margin he had in the final standings over Corey Rech of Ellijay, Georgia.
The Red Bull Riders Cup race will be held at the MotoGP season finale in Valencia, Spain on October 25, with the top-ten Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies taking on the top-ten Red Bull MotoGP Rookies in the second leg of the Transatlantic match race series. The Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies will attempt to bring home the Cup after the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies won it at Indianapolis.