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BBenny Solis Jr. is another former Red Bull Rookies Cup competitor that has now made a home in the MotoAmerica
series. The twenty-two year old Californian had a breakout year during the 2011 AMA Pro Supersport season as he went on to win four races, eventually placing in second position in the west region. He was a regular in the Daytona Sportbike class, where he earned an array of top ten finishes, all the way until the inception of MotoAmerica in 2015. “Benito” has become a regular in the Supersport class throughout the last couple of years and he’s continued to improve with each passing season, finishing fifth place overall in the series last year with one podium finish to his name. Solis Jr. is carrying the family legacy as a second generation road racer in succession of his father, Ben Solis, and he continues to do the family name proud each time he puts rubber to the tarmac.
The season started off with less than ideal circumstances as Solis Jr. wasn’t able to complete any laps at the preseason Dunlop test due to his bike getting stuck in customs. Therefore, he was forced to play catch up throughout the first session of the weekend, but he still managed to clock the sixth fastest time in the opening practice. He was able to improve his position in qualifying as he earned fifth place on the grid, only a couple of tenths behind the Rickdiculous Racing Yamaha of Daytona Anderson. Solis Jr. was able to execute an exceptional start when the
lights went out on the first race of the season, promoting himself into a podium position ahead of the defending series champion, Garrett Gerloff. His time in third position was short lived, but his early race aggression paid off in the opening laps. Unfortunately, he was sent back to the starting grid as a red flag situation halted proceedings and he was forced to do it all over again. Solis Jr. kept his head down on the Team H35 Honda at the second start, separating himself from those around him within a couple of laps. He rode a fairly lonely ride in fourth position, hitting his marks and keeping it smooth on his way to the checkered flag with an eight second gap in hand ahead of Daytona Anderson.
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