The Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup returns to action at Road Atlanta this weekend. Up for grabs is a shot at the Riders Cup, a series of two races at Indianapolis and Valencia that will see the top ten Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies take on their counterparts from the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. The line-up for the Rookies will be determined after this weekend’s race, placing even more importance on the weekend.

The series for the brightest young motorcycle racing stars in North and South America will race with a heavy heart as this is the first race after the passing of Toriano Wilson, a talented racer and good friend to all. Luciano Ribodino was also injured in the crash and continues to recover.

“We’re without two of our fellow competitors this weekend in Toriano Wilson and Luciano Ribodino. What happened has made a deep impact on all of us,” said Rider Coach Kevin Schwantz. “We’re all trying to recover from the tragedy. Our deepest condolences go out to Toriano’s family, friends, and fans. We also give ‘Lucho’ our best wishes as he goes through his recovery. We will race this weekend like Toriano would have wanted, but we’ll do so with both Toriano and ‘Lucho’ in our thoughts.”

The Road Atlanta circuit will prove to be a challenging one for the Rookies and the circuit will add to that. The track has it all, long straights, heavy braking zones, and technical sections that promote passing and close racing – something the Rookies Cup has seen plenty of this year.

The Road Atlanta circuit has been revised for this race. Most notably, track officials have changed the final turn at the 2.54-mile circuit to increase safety.

Three Rookies hail from the greater Atlanta area, Jake Morman, Huntley Nash, and Jesse Stevens.

Huntley Nash of Marietta, Ga., has shown flashes in what is his first full season of racing. He has shown plenty of speed in the races and his season has been a challenge for consistency and putting it all together. “Hunt” earned fourth place in Wisconsin and has other top-ten results to his credit. He is one of the riders in contention to earn one of the final spots in the Riders Cup. Nash says he wants to make his home event his best one this season.

“It’s exciting to race in front of my family and friends, and hopefully I can put it on the box or at least get a top five this weekend,” said the 16-year-old. “Lately, I have been qualifying better and I hope to see that trend continue. This is really my first year racing and learning how to be a better racer has been my goal. I’m used to the KTM RC 125 and once I got some idea on the setup, it’s going better. I have learned how to communicate what I need with my mechanic and we’ve gotten some good results. I’ll really be pushing hard to get it done again this weekend.”

Jesse Stevens of Lawrenceville, Ga., says he’s learned a lot this year in the Rookies Cup. Stevens’ season started out to be a trying one after a Barber crash but Stevens has been steadily improving throughout the season. The 16-year-old is one of the riders fighting for a spot in the Riders Cup this weekend.

“We’re all good friends off the track but it’s a battle royale out there on the track,” said Jess. “It would definitely be cool for me to make the Riders Cup because I know (Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup champion) J.D. Beach and it would be fun to race him, and it would be great to meet some of the other kids, too. I think it will take more than just a top ten to get in the Riders Cup, which for me is possible at this track. It’s my home circuit but a lot of the other guys have been there too, so that should make it interesting.”

Jake Morman of Loganville, Ga., missed the last round due to injury from a non-Rookies Cup event, but the popular teen is ready for action at his home race. “I’m feeling really good, I got the stitches out of my hand and I am super stoked to get back out there,” said the 14-year-old. “I’ll have a lot of family and friends at the race and I want to get a top-five, for sure. Road Atlanta is a really good track. I like the way it flows and it has some nice off-camber turns that are challenging. There should be a lot of passing going on. I have checked out the new section and it looks like a turn I would like, a lot of hard braking down the hill.”

Schwantz feels the Rookies Cup line-up being determined after this race will affect the way the Rookies approach the weekend. “We have quite a few Rookies that can earn one of the Riders Cup slots with a good result at Road Atlanta,” said the Rookies Cup Riders Coach. “I think we’ll have more riders concerned about the points more than ever. We have a tight spread for those last couple of spots. It will be a challenging race. Some of the Rookies have some experience here but they have never ridden the track on these bikes and the circuit is also a bit different.”

Benny Solis of North Hollywood, Calif., leads the series point race over Leandro Mercado of Argentina. Solis has a 32-point margin with just three races to go. Hayden Gillim (Owensboro, Ky.) has risen to challenge Mercado for second pace after two consecutive wins at Mid-Ohio and VIR. Gillim has closed to within six points of Mercado.

The Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup race will be held on Sunday at noon local time.

Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup Points (after seven races)

1. 35 Benny Solis, North Hollywood, California 140 points

2. 36 Leandro Mercado, Cordoba, Argentina 108

3. 69 Hayden Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 102

4. 32 Jake Gagne, Ramona, California 74

5. 12 Tomas Puerta, Medellin, Colombia 63

6. 56 Austin DeHaven, Los Angeles, California 61

7. 25 Joey Pascarella, Vacaville, California 56

8. 50 Emerson Connor, Burlington, Ontario 52

9. 74 Bryce Prince, Bakersfield, California 43

10. 26 Toriano Wilson, St. Davids, Bermuda 40

11. 34 Corey Rech, Liverpool, New York 40

12. 75 Huntley Nash, Marietta, Georgia 31

13. 13 Jesse Stevens, Lawrenceville, Georgia 28

14. 31 Cameron Gish, Shingle Springs, California 27

15. 95 Frankie Lee Gillim, Owensboro, Kentucky 25

16. 7 Austin Medrano, Mustang, Oklahoma 24

17. 66 Jake Morman, Loganville, Georgia 22

18. 94 Jacob Cunningham, Kimberly, Wisconsin 17

19. 3 Travis Wyman, Macedon, New York 13

20. 23 Corey Alexander, Ossining, New York 12

21. 11 Luciano Ribodino San Francisco, Cordoba, Argentina 6

22. 22 Garet Tomlinson, Aledo, Texas 4

23. 82 Otavio Lucchini, Jundiai, SP, Brazil 1

For more information on the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup, please visit www.redbullrookiescup.com and www.redbullusa.com/rookiescup.

The Northwoods GP Series would like to congratulate Taylor Towler and Nick Hansen for making the Red Bull Rookie Cup tryouts. This will be Nicks second year for the tryouts and Tay’s first time.

Again congrats and good luck Nick and Taylor!

YES, wouldn’t you guys like to gain 30 THIRTY PERCENT more hp?! In just 3 hours on the dyno, Chris (Pooh) and I got this little bike to rip!

Peter Lenz’s RSF150R has a BONE stock CRF150R motor, in a Honda 125GP chassis. It went to the CMRRA race at Streets of Wollow (about 2,400 feet) and ran horrible so if it’s rich here, there it would be TERRIBLY RICH!

The conversation went like this… Peter Lenz’s dad Mike, “Eric, the 150 is a ing turd, Peter was getting killed on the straights can you try and fit it in your schedule and fix/look at?” Eric, “Sure, I’ll try best I can.”

Again, realize this all took place at EDR’s shop in Portland which is at Sea Level, imagine how he had to ride the thing at 2,400 feet to turn laps in the 1:26s!

- Check plug, looks OK, but its an “8″ temp range, I like running colder plugs personally, so I put a new “9″ range in it and base pull the bike…. HOLY SH it wont even run over 12,000 rpm! and this is at SEA LEVEL! Imagine at Willow maybe 10k limit? THe main jet is HORRIBLY rich!

- We changed the main jet 9 times. We tried 3 needles, and of those, adjusted it over 20 times.

Finally!!! Got her to pull clean from a very low 5,000 rpm all way to limiter (man she needs more rpm!) of 14,250. Picked up “peak” of about 5 rwhp (over 20%) but at 14,000 picked up 9 rwhp since it was SOOO rich/down on hp. That is a 35% increase! If you had a GSX-R 750 that would be about 45 rwhp!!

Now its even a bit still on the rich side at 12.6:1 but WHO CARES…we tried race gas and with this small motor low comprssion stocker no hp…so pure pump it is.

Best part of this whole thing was having the 11-year old kid call me on HIS cell phone to talk and thank us. Enjoy kid…let me know how ya like having HP!

EDR Performance is online at ~http://www.edrperformance.com~

The Alberta Mini RoadRacing Association is very pleased to announce the approval of our grant application for the AMRA Community and Ladies Sport Training Program. With financial support provided by the Government of Alberta we will be able to purchase equipment for our training programs provided for competitive amateur athletes and continue to create an opportunity for basic training to the public. Approved items included: 10 new motorcycles, both sport and dirt frame machines, along with 10 complete sets of riding gear including helmets, riding leathers, gloves and boots!

The AMRA is pleased to be able to encourage all Albertans to come out and try our sport. Whether the riders’ interest is in the recreational aspect of motorcycles or to test their limits on the race track; with the support of the Community Initiatives Program and the Government of Alberta the riders who participate in the AMRA Community and Ladies Sport Training Programs with be safer with the equipment provided by this grant.

~http://www.amra.ca~

When: Memorial Day Weekend – August 31st.

Where: GrangΘ Motor Circuit in Apple Valley, California

What: Specifically for mini road racers, M1-Grand Prix is a full fledged track day company with control riders, bike rentals, track-side services, and rider training.

After a successful first “Dry Run” on the 17th, M1-GP is doing it one more time. The last DRY RUN.

Come experience M1-GrandPrix’s fleet of 13 NSR50s for the ride of your life, or bring your own bike for an exclusive mini’s only day found here only with M1-GrandPrix.

For helping us out, we’re offering a substantial discount off our regular rates.

Here’s the link to the E-vite ~http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?event=TLQZLTNOGHVYGUHOVZZJ~ Also, please read the information on the sign-up link ~http://m1-grandprix.com/dry1.html~

M1-GP events are for: 50-80cc roadrace bikes. Max cc for supermoto is 150cc 4 stroke. 50cc scooters are welcome.

Sorry, no big motards and no pocket bikes.

For more information about M1-GP, please visit ~http://www.m1-grandprix.com~.

The Ohio YSR League (OYL) will be at BeaveRun, PA for Round 8 September 6th 2008. We will be racing on The Wilson Circuit, at 8/10 mile long and 26 feet wide, The Wilson Circuit is longer and wider than most other kart tracks in the United States! This is a top shelf track with a full compliment of track amenities. Free camping at the track is available, with showers on location. Their are lots of local hotels in the area as well, one of the bigger ones is the Holiday Inn, less then 3 miles from the track.

OYL is purely a mini road race club with racers from 6 years old to 62 years old, on machines ranging from stock YSRs, NSRs, pocketbikes, minimotards to an Extreme RSF150R machines. Multiple classes exist for virtually everything mini to race competitively on a premier track.

For details of all that OYL has to offer please refer to the official OYL web site at ~http://www.ohioysr.org~ or our forum at ~http://miniroadracers.informe.com/forum/~

We sincerely hope to see you there.

-OYL STAFF

~http://www.torianowilson26memorial.blogspot.com~

Funeral details can be found here: ~http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=33815~

-

The motorcycle community, the family that is AMA racing, lost someone too young this past weekend in a race related crash at Virginia International Raceway. Fourteen-year old Toriano Wilson of Bermuda, teenager, motorcycle racer, future star, passed away from injuries sustained.

To say that I’m shaken is an understatement. I feel cold with sadness, and lost, missing his huge smile already and the grins of his family who were always so close by.

I met Toriano earlier this year at Barber Raceway in April, along with his dad Dennis and Dennis’s girlfriend Debbie. I was touched by their enthusiasm and energy and with the grit that kept them pushing forward with whatever it took so that Toriano could follow his dreams. And the kid dreamed BIG, you could see it in his eyes when he talked about racing and hear the determination ringing in his voice when he talked of improving his times, or passing another rider, his dad’s approving hand on this tall kid’s shoulder.

They came by every race after that to say their hello’s and give us updates, to wish myself and teammate Josh luck on our own racing endeavors. Dennis smiling, Debbie smiling, Toriano outshining them both with his white tooth grin. I remember thinking that he was mature for his age, he carried himself well, he spoke well, he respected Josh and I, had good manners, but most of all, he had that adventurous twinkle in his eye.

I stopped watching the Red Bull Rookie’s Cup races, after seeing a couple kids toss themselves in crashes at Infinneon Raceway, not because I don’t believe in the series or believe that kids that age should be racing, but because it was too hard for me to witness children tumbling, potentially getting hurt. I now more fully understand my parents steady refusal to watch me race, despite their pride in my achievements and their full support.

I commend the parents that stand by their kids in the quest for achieving their goals and dreams, and with the courage that it takes to watch them fall and get back up, fall again. In this rare case, Toriano did not get back up. It is the dark reality of motorcycle racing, the stark contrast to checkered flags and podium appearances, and smiles all the time.

My body went cold when I heard of a crash in the rookie’s cup that had sent two of the boys by life flight to the hospital. I immediately asked around to find out which kid had been hurt, my stomach turning when I heard, “Torianoa..it doesn’t look good.”

That night, shaking, I dug around in our trailer to locate the delicate bottle of pink sand from Bermuda that Toriano and his family has so thoughtfully given me a few races back. I placed it beside the bed in my hotel room and, fighting bad dreams, sent all my energy to him, his family, his recovery. In the morning, Josh and I drove to the hospital to see if we could offer some support, my phone rang as we were nearing the building.

I knew the moment I answered, the way the news entered me, a voice in the background sounding muffled, as though talking through clouds, and my knees buckled, shaking hands dropping the purple flowers, a shock of color against the grey pavement and I shook my head at Josh, tears streaming. He seemed to freeze then, his arms limp and dangling for what seemed like forever, the least animated I have seen him, ever.

We lost someone too young, in an accident that has left us all reeling. What his family is going through at this moment I cannot imagine as I feel my own coldness in the marrow of my bones and catch myself blinking back tears in the most random of moments.

I do not know why I write this down now, except that I feel compelled somehow to commit his name and his energy and his short life to my memory forever and share with others how in such a short time, his smile touched me deeply.

My thoughts and my love go out to his family, his friends, fellow racers, and to all those that were touched by his life in some way or another. This is a lesson to all of us that life is precious and can be much too short and that we need to grab each moment and crush it to our skin.

I will miss you greatly Toriano Wilson.

Godspeed.

Misti

Toriano Wilson, a road racer from Bermuda, fell on the track during the first lap and was accidentally struck by another rider while attempting to get out of the way.

Toriano was airlifted to UNC Medical Center for treatment, but later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead early Monday morning. The other rider was transported to Duke Medical Center in Durham, NC and suffered a broken left arm and broken left femur. He is in a stable condition.

The AMA and Red Bull have a long history in racing and every effort is made to create the safest possible environment for all participants. Unfortunately, racing also carries inherent risks. This was a tragic accident and our thoughts are with both families at this time.

CMRRA/TSO RACING INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE

STREETS OF WILLOW RESULTS – AUGUST 10, 2008

NOVICE 50CC STOCK: 1. JASON AQUILAR; JOHN ERICKSON; 3. JUSTICE LONDON; 4. TONY VAUGHN; 5. JEFFREY BROWN; 6. MIKE LYONS; 7. JARED SMITH; 8. JOSH TOOTELL.

NOVICE 85CC STOCK: 1. JAVELIN BRODERICK; 2. ALAN MORTENSON.

NOVICE 85CCGP: 1. JAVELIN BRODERICK; 2. KIKI RODRIGUEZ

NOVICE 125 THUNDER: 1. PETE BENITES

NOVICE 150 THUNDER: 1. ALAN MORTENSON; 2. KIKI RODRIGUEZ

EXPERT 50CC STOCK: 1. JASON TAKAMOTO; 2. JOSHUA SERNE’; 3. YOUNG LEE; 4. SYIMPHIA VU; 5. YASUYO NAKAMURA; 6. PASCAL ROBERTS; 7. TYLER LINDERS; 8. TYLER ARCHULETTA; 9. JASON VAN SLYKE; 10. WILL ADE; 11. GO KAGIYA; 12. BEN KINOSHITA

EXPERT 65CCGP: 1. LEONARD MELLGREN; 2. PASCAL ROBERTS; 3. TYLER LINDERS; 4. JOSHUA SERNE’; 5. JASON VAN SLYKE; 6. BEN KINOSHITA; 7. JOHN GESSNER.

EXPERT 85CC STOCK: 1. PETER LENZ; 2. LEONARD MELLGREN; 3. JOSHUA SERNE’; 4. MICHAEL CHOU; 5.GARY HIGGINS; 6. TYLER ARCHULETTA; 7. JORDON EDGINGTON; 8. BRYAN EDGINGTON; 9. BEN KINOSHITA.

EXPERT 85CCGP: 1. JOE ROBERTS; 2. LEONARD MELLGREN; 3. PETER LENZ; 4. GAGE MCCALLISTER; 5. JOSHUA SERNE’; 6. ANDRE’ OCHS; 7. TYLER LINDERS; 8. GARY HIGGINS; 9. KIRBY SMITH; 10. RICH JOHNSON; 11. JORDON EDGINGTON; 12. PASCAL ROBERTS.

EXPERT 125 THUNDER: 1. CRAIG CRAWFORD; 2. LEIGH CRAWFORD; 3. BRYAN EDGINGTON; 4. KO KAGIYA; 5. TOMMY CRAWFORD; 6. MOOKIE WILKERSON; 7. ERNEST CASTRO; 8. JORDON EDGINGTON; 9. GO KAGIYA.

EXPERT 150 THUNDER: 1. GARY HIGGINS; 2. RICK SHERER; 3. RICK TRAMMELL; 4. BRYAN EDGINGTON; 5. JOHN GESSNER.

EXPERT 150GP: 1. JOE ROBERTS; 2. KIRBY SMITH; 3. GARY HIGGINS; 4. JORDON EDGINGTON; 5. PETER LENZ; 6. RICH JOHNSON; 7. GAGE MCCALLISTER; 8. JASON PAREDEZ.

VET (25+) 50CC STOCK: 1. KO KAGIYA; 2. JASON TAKAMOTO; 3. YASUYO NAKAMURA; 4. BEN MORSE; 5. YOUNG LEE; 6. JASON VAN SLYKE; 7. JUSTICE LONDON; 8. JOHN ERICKSON; 9. JEFFREY BROWN; 10. TONY VAUGHN; 11. WILL ADE; 12. ERNEST CASTRO; 13. JOSH TOOTELL; 14. AMANDA ERICKSON; 15. CRYSTAL STRANGER.

VET (25+) 65CCGP: 1. LEONARD MELLGREN; 2. MOOKIE WILKERSON; 3. JASON VAN SLYKE; 4. BEN MORSE.

VET (25+) 85CCGP: 1. MOOKIE WILKERSON; 2. LEONARD MELLGREN; 3. MICHAEL CHOU; 4. BEN MORSE; 5. KIRBY SMITH; 6. BROK MCCALLISTER; 7. RICH JOHNSON; 8. ALAN MORTENSON; 9. BRIAN EDGINGTON; 10. RICK TRAMMELL; 11. JASON PAREDEZ; 12. RICK SHERER.

FORMULA EXTREME: 1. JOE ROBERTS; 2. PETER LENZ; 3. ANDRE’ OCHS; 4. GAGE MCCALLISTER; 5. JOSHUA SERNE’; 6. JAVELIN BRODERICK; 7. GARY HIGGINS; 8. PASCAL ROBERTS.

OPEN MOTARD: 1. CRISTAIN OLQUIN; 2. BROK MCCALLISTER; 3. GARY HIGGINS; 4. ELENA MYERS; 5. CRAIG CRAWFORD; 6. BRANDEN ROSE; 7. JASON PATINO. – JASON REED (DQ)

FORMULA 3GP (NON PAYBACK): 1. BENNY SOLIS; 2. JUSTIN DUCUT; 3. CAMERON GISH; 4. ANDRE’ OCHS; 5. JOE ROBERTS; 6. DUSTY PHARES; 7. PETER LENZ.

FORMULA 3 PRO: 1. BENNY SOLIS; 2. JUSTIN DUCUT; 3. CAMERON GISH; 4. ANDRE’ OCHS; DUSTY PHARES (DNF) – SYIMPHIA VU (DNF) – PETER LENZ (DNF)