The newest generation of road racing stars has arrived, as 23 young racers have been confirmed and will comprise the starting grid for the 2008 Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup series. The riders, who will be between 13 and 16 years old during the season, represent six states and five countries, and will complement the year-old Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in Europe.
These riders were selected from more than 600 applicants from the Western Hemisphere. Of the 600 applicants, 104 were invited to attend the official Selection Event at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. They had equal amounts of on-track time in which to display a combination of speed, progression of lap times, attitude, willingness to learn and of course, potential. They were comprehensively evaluated by 1993 500cc World Champion and Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup rider coach Kevin Schwantz, renowned flat track instructor Danny Walker, MotoGP team owner and paddock insider Peter Clifford and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies rider coach and multiple grand prix race winner Gustl Auinger.
The 2008 Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup will compete at select AMA Superbike race weekends, as well as at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, on identical KTM RC 125 bikes. In addition, the top riders from the AMA and MotoGP Rookies Cups will square off in the special Red Bull Riders Cup at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, with a rematch on European soil at the Valencia Grand Prix in October.
These riders were selected from more than 600 applicants from the Western Hemisphere. Of the 600 applicants, 104 were invited to attend the official Selection Event at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. They had equal amounts of on-track time in which to display a combination of speed, progression of lap times, attitude, willingness to learn and of course, potential. They were comprehensively evaluated by 1993 500cc World Champion and Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup rider coach Kevin Schwantz, renowned flat track instructor Danny Walker, MotoGP team owner and paddock insider Peter Clifford and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies rider coach and multiple grand prix race winner Gustl Auinger.
The 2008 Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup will compete at select AMA Superbike race weekends, as well as at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, on identical KTM RC 125 bikes. In addition, the top riders from the AMA and MotoGP Rookies Cups will square off in the special Red Bull Riders Cup at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, with a rematch on European soil at the Valencia Grand Prix in October.
| # | Name | Nickname |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Travis Wyman | "Travis" |
| 7 | Austin Medrano | "Austin" |
| 11 | Luciano Ribodino | "Lucho" |
| 12 | Tomas Puerta | "Tomy" |
| 13 | Jesse Stevens | "Jess" |
| 22 | Garet Tomlinson | "Monkey Boy" |
| 23 | Corey Alexander | "Corey" |
| 25 | Joey Pascarella | "Jo Jo" |
| 26 | Toriano Wilson | "The Animal" |
| 31 | Cameron Gish | "Cam" |
| 32 | Jake Gagne | "Jake" |
| 34 | Corey Rech | "C. Rech" |
| 35 | Benny Solis | "Benito" |
| 36 | Leandro Mercado | "Tati" |
| 50 | Emerson Connor | "Emo" |
| 56 | Austin DeHaven | "The Weasel" |
| 66 | Jake Morman | "Squirrel" |
| 69 | Hayden Gillim | "Hayden" |
| 74 | Bryce Prince | "The Prince" |
| 75 | Huntley Nash | "Hunt" |
| 82 | Otavio Lucchini | "Lucchini" |
| 94 | Jacob Cunningham | "JC" |
| 95 | Frankie Lee Gillim | "FLG" |
