Four racers led the event at the 2.2-mile circuit, with Tomas Puerta of Colombia leading the first two laps before the Solis/Gillim/Mercado group took over. (Photo: Brian J. Nelson) » More Photos

Mercado rode a great race but again came up just short at the Laguna Seca finish line. After finishing 0.0008 seconds shy of a victory yesterday, the rider nicknamed "Tati" finished 0.01 seconds behind runner-up Gillim today. "The race was fun, and I am happy to get points for the championship. This race was really hard. I tried hard to keep my eyes on first place. The last lap, I made a couple of mistakes," said the 16-year-old. "First, a lapped rider was right on my line and that allowed Benny to get a little distance. Then in the last corner, I didn't get it right and got a little wheel spin. That helped Hayden get by me."

Puerta took the fourth spot, holding off Joey Pascarella of Vacaville, Calif., by a little more than one second. "I was fast yesterday and ran with the lead group but crashed. Today, I made sure I got the points," said Puerta, now fourth in the series standings.

The next group of riders saw a fiercely contested battle for sixth spot. Austin DeHaven of Los Angeles crossed the line first, having cleared fellow competitors Jake Gagne of Ramona, Calif., and Emerson Connor of Burlington, Ont., Canada. Bryce Prince from Bakersfield, Calif., was ninth and just 0.1 seconds in front of Jesse Stevens of Lawrenceville, Ga.

Garet Tomlinson of Aledo, Tex., completed a courageous race, managing to finish despite painful injuries from crashes at both Road America and earlier this weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The next Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup race will be held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 3.

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Results and Standings on next page...