Motourage

Team Joe Darcey Monlau’s Kev Coghlan won Sunday’s fourth round of the CEV Buckler Spanish Moto2 Championship at the Motorland Aragon Circuit after a dominant display on the Honda-engined FTR Moto M210.

Coghlan qualified fourth and lead from the start of the 15-lap race. He set a new lap record on the third lap – 0.2s faster than his qualifying time – and eventually ran out a 2.2-second gap on the second-place finisher, Spain’s Ivan Moreno.

Coghlan added to his second-round race victory at Albacete and now sits just five points off the lead of the series with three rounds remaining. Round five is at Albacete on September 12.

FTR’s Steve Bones:
“We’re over the moon with the performance of Team Joe Darcey Monlau and Kev. The Spanish program is really progressing well, and the Team Joe Darcey Monlau performances have put FTR to the forefront of the new Moto2 series almost immediately. The next round at Albacete is one we would hope Kev could win again but the final two rounds – at Valencia and Jerez in November – may be a different proposition as some of the World Championship teams will be competing. But Kev has shown a maturity beyond his years to win last year’s European and Spanish Supersport titles so we’re sure he’s more than capable of challenging for and winning the title.”

FTR Moto and the Monlau Competicion Team’s Kev Coghlan are looking to close the gap to the championship lead in Sunday’s fourth round of the CEV Buckler Moto2 Spanish Championship at the Motorland Aragon circuit near Zaragoza.

Coghlan – winner of the 2009 European and Spanish Supersport Championships – is in fifth place, 21 points off the series lead with four rounds remaining and continues to impress on the FTR M210 machine.

“With the support of Miguel Gomez and Anton Gruschka from last year’s Joe Darcey Team we felt confident of challenging for the inaugural Moto2 title in Spain,” said FTR’s Steve Bones. “Sunday’s race, the first at Aragon, is very important for Kev and the Team and hopefully they secure victory.”

Coghlan arrives at the Aragon circuit having tested there 10 days ago then traveled to Knockhill in Scotland to perform demonstration laps on an FTR M210 during the British Superbike Championship weekend last Saturday.

Dunlop Tires also took control of an FTR Moto2 machine for its display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend. More than 176,000 fans attended the event and the FTR Moto2 machine formed part of a display that included a Ferrari F430 GT2 and TT record breaker Ian Hutchinson’s Senior race-winning Honda.

“Last weekend was a bit of a hectic one for us,” added Bones. “In addition to Kev doing the demonstration laps at Knockhill and the Dunlop/FTR presence at Goodwood of course we also had the Catalunya Grand Prix taking place. There was a great fourth place for Karel Abraham and Andrea Iannone again proved the competitiveness of the FTR M210 with his incident-hit race then everyone was off to the new Aragon test ahead of the Grand Prix there in September. Overall, we’re pretty happy at the way the 2010 season, our first in competition as an independent entity, is working out – hopefully that will continue in Sunday’s Spanish Championship round.”

FTR Moto is looking for more Moto2 success in this Sunday’s seventh round of the MotoGP World Championship at the Circuit de Catalunya, near Barcelona, Spain with FIMMCO Speed Up Team rider Andrea Iannone looking to become the first rider to win three races in the inaugural year of the 600cc four-stroke class.

Iannone has taken the FTR M210 to wins in Italy and last Saturday in Holland and sits fourth in the World Championship, 33 points behind with 11 races to go. Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team M210 rider Alex Debon will race in his home GP despite suffering a shoulder injury at Assen last week.

Iannone’s FIMMCO Speed Up team-mate Gabor Talmacsi will be looking to improve on his 10th place in the World Championship while Czech Republic rider Karel Abraham continues to adapt to the M210 after his career-best ninth place finish at Assen on his Cardion AB Motoracing FTR machine.

FTR Moto's M210 Moto2 machine has been successful all over Europe in 2010

In addition to the Catalunya Grand Prix, FTR Moto has a presence at other major events this weekend – all in addition to retaining its focus on the CEV Spanish Championship and the Kev Coghlan - Monlau Competicion program and today’s test session at the new Motorland Aragon circuit.

The FTR M210 will make its debut at a British Superbike Championship round this weekend when Scottish rider Coghlan will perform demonstration laps on his Silverstone Grand Prix wild card machine at the Knockhill sixth round on Saturday and Sunday.

Also this weekend, the FTR Moto2 race machine will make an appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the Dunlop Live Arena. The event, held at Goodwood Estate in Sussex, Eng, runs today through Sunday and features a historic-vehicle hill climb, expo and celebration of motorsports.

FTR’s Steve Bones:
“From heading into the first round of the World Championship in Qatar less than three months ago with three riders we’ve now got four riders on the M210 and two more teams in discussions about running the FTR machine.
We’ve become the first Moto2 constructor to contest the Isle of Man TT races and this weekend’s activities probably typify just how far the FTR Moto name has come in such a short space of time. Obviously we’d like further success at World Championship level but success in the Spanish Championship also remains crucial to our machine and rider development program.
We hope that the BSB fans enjoy the sight and sound of the FTR at Knockhill this weekend and I’m sure the first ever Moto2 machine to be present at the Goodwood Festival of Speed will attract a lot of attention. We also need to say thanks to our various partners for their support in all of these activities.”

Kev Coghlin

FTR Moto and FOGI Racing of Canada have combined to provide a first FTR machine wild card in the Moto2 World Championship for this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone and for Scottish rider Kev Coghlan.

FTR and FOGI will field Coghlan who will also benefit from his regular CEV Buckler Spanish Championship Monlau Competicion Team providing the infrastructure for the wild card effort.

“We’ve been working with Angus Borland of FOGI Racing for some time and to be able to combine and give Kev a shot at his home Grand Prix is really exciting for everyone,” said FTR’s Steve Bones.

Coghlan arrives at Silverstone having finished second – but later disqualified – in the third round of the Spanish Championship last Sunday at Jerez.

“It’s a shame that such a small issue should be brought to light and dealt with in such a severe manner, but it’s done now,” said Coghlan. “At least we showed the pace at Jerez and we’re straight into Silverstone and able to put the Jerez event behind us immediately.

Coghlan joins four other FTR riders for Sunday’s fifth round at Silverstone. FIMMCO Speed Up Team riders Andrea Iannone and Gabor Talmacsi, Cardion AB Motoracing’s Karel Abraham and the Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team’s Alex Debon will also compete.

“We’ve had four top five finishes from the opening four rounds, including Iannone’s win in Mugello and Debon’s runner-up finish in Qatar,” added Bones. “The FTR machine is constantly improving and we’re hoping it will suit the new, high-speed Silverstone circuit.

FTR is based just 10 miles south of Silverstone in Buckingham, and Bones is looking to the home race for more podium finishes: “In a class where 27 riders and 14 constructors have already scored points it’s never going to be easy, but I think that is all part of the attraction of Moto2 and the competitive edge it offers.”

FTR Moto and Kevin Coghlan are just one point off the lead of the Spanish CEV Moto2 Championship after the young Scotsman won Sunday’s second round of the Championship at Albacete.

Coghlan out ran Carmelo Morales by just 0.367s in a thrilling race, run in two parts – three laps and 16 laps – after rain hit the 2.20-mile circuit and the original race was red-flagged. Having qualified in fifth place on the Monlau Competicion FTR machine, Coghlan led for half of the main 16-lap race before sitting behind Morales to ensure his debut win in Moto2.

“It was a tough day with the first race being stopped then the result on aggregate time,” said Coghlan. “Towards the end of the 16-lapper I needed to push on a little and I’m pleased I was able to do that. I’m still getting used to the machine but I felt really comfortable throughout the weekend so all credit to the team and to FTR.”

Coghlan sits one point behind Daniel Rivas in the seven-round Championship with the third round at the Jerez circuit on June 13.

FTR’s Steve Bones commented: “Kev did an excellent job, he rode like a demon at the end of the race to ensure victory. The team gave him the signal to protect the lead he had on aggregate time and he responded superbly.”

Russian youngster Alexey Ivanov, also riding an FTR machine, qualified in 31st place and finished 22nd as he continues his progression in the new class and in his first year of competition in Spain.

The Joe Darcey Team is chasing the inaugural 2010 Spanish CEV Moto2 title with FTR machinery, Scottish rider Kev Coghlan and support from the Monlau Competition Institute in Barcelona.

The team has won the Spanish Supersport title twice in the last three years and hopes to add the new CEV Moto2 Championship – replacing Supersport – to its list of honors.

The FTR M209B is built specifically for the CEV Spanish Championship and based on FTR's GP machine.

Coghlan, riding for the Joe Darcey Team, won the 2009 Spanish and European Championships and believes the FTR machine, coupled with the support of Monlau’s renowned technical institute, should see him competitive from the very first race at Catalunya on April 18.

“It’s been a tough winter trying to pull together a plan for 2010, but this is exactly what I want to be doing,” said 21-year-old Coghlan. “It’s a team I know, the FTR machine has been carefully developed with the right people in 2009, and Alex Debon and the 2010 Grand Prix riders are currently taking it to the next step. In all, I have a very good chance to win a second Spanish title, and with the Monlau support plus that of Miguel and Anton at Joe Darcey I’ve every reason to be excited about the 2010 season.”

Coghlan and the Joe Darcey Team will use FTR’s CEV M209B rolling chassis, developed specifically for the new Spanish Championship and offered at a reduced cost in comparison to its 2010 Grand Prix World Championship counterpart.

FTR director Steve Bones commented, “We already know the capabilities of Kev Coghlan, Joe Darcey and the Monlau operation, so this first step towards a presence in the Spanish Championship is something we know we can definitely build on.”

The RFME and Dorna Sports have announced the calendar for the CEV Buckler 2010 season. The season will consist of seven events, with the incorporation of Motorland Aragón, which will host the fifth round on October 3, 2010.

The CEV Buckler 2010 calendar:
April 18: Circuit de Catalunya
May 9: Circuito de Albacete
June 13: Circuito de Jerez
September 12: Circuito de Albacete
October 3: Motorland Aragón
November 14: Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana
November 21: Circuito de Jerez

More information on the Championship is available at: www.cevbuckler.com and www.rfme.net.

Team Blusens by Queroseno Racing

Team Owner: Raul Romero
Team Manager: Ricard Jove
Chief Technicians: Josep Oliva and David Thomas
Rider: Dani Rivas

The BQR Moto2 project began at the end of the 2006 racing season. The Würth/BQR Honda 250 team had just finished a 15^th-place 250cc season with current AMA Team Hammer rider – and Motourage favorite – Mártin Cárdenas. Team owner Raul Romero and then-manager Kino Contreras began development of a four-stroke MotoGP engine. Both Romero and Contreras understood that the days of the 250cc two-stroke class were numbered; however, they entered into their new experiment with little insight into the future of the GP support class.  BQR, which had been mating its chassis with 250cc Honda engines for several seasons, came on board at the beginning of the project, and its two technicians – David Thomas and Josep Olivia – have been instrumental in its coordination.

In February, BQR became the first team to unveil a Moto2 machine

BQR had originally planned to enter the MotoGP World Championship in 2011; however, the early announcement of the Moto2 class and significant successes in testing allowed the team to unveil the first Moto2 bike back in February and field a Moto2 prototype at the 2009 CEV Buckler Spanish Road Racing Championship.  In November and December, Julián Simón and Mike Di Meglio tested in Valencia onboard a machine loaned to Team Aspar by BQR. The teammates consistently lapped at the top of the sheets for those riders onboard true Moto2 machines (Ant West lapped on rebadged Stiggy Honda CBR600 Supersport bike).  No official word yet, but there are rumors circulating that Aspar may decide to run BQR-supplied chasses due to the pullout of Aprilia from Moto2.

If you’d like a quick listen of how the new Moto2 bikes will sound, here’s a short clip of the BQR Moto2 bike in action at Jerez.