Motourage

FTR Moto will field five M210 Moto2 machines in this weekend’s Motorland Aragon round of the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix. The four regular FTR–mounted riders – Alex Debon, Andrea Iannone, Gabor Talmacsi and Karel Abraham – will be joined at Aragon by wild card entrant, CEV Buckler Spanish Championship Moto2 rider Kev Coghlan on the Monlau Competicion/Joe Darcey Team FTR machine.

“It’s the third time this year that we’ve been able to field five machines and after the last wild card outing of Jason DiSalvo at Indianapolis and his ninth place finish we’re hopeful of a strong showing from Kev and the team at Aragon,” said FTR’s Steve Bones.

Coghlan is second in the Spanish Moto2 Championship, just seven points off the lead, and is relishing the chance to tackle the World Championship competition and on a circuit where he won round four of the CEV Buckler Spanish series in July.

“I had a good run at Aragon two months ago and managed to lead the race from start to finish so I’m keen to get back there,” said Coghlan. “We run Michelins in the Spanish Championship and the World Championship is on Dunlops so we’ve a bit of work to do on set-up; but the guys can handle that OK.”

FIMMCO Speed Up's Andrea Ianonne

Andrea Iannone will be hoping this weekend’s 12th round of the World Championship can complete a hat-trick of wins in the new class, adding to his victories at Mugello, Italy and Assen, Holland in June.

Iannone is fourth in the World Championship, just nine points adrift of second place, while his FIMMCO Speed Up teammate Gabor Talmacsi sits in eighth place after a consistent campaign and just one non-finish on his M210.

Cardion AB Motoracing Team M210 rider Karel Abraham will be aiming to make up for the disappointment of missing the last two rounds while Spaniard Alex Debon and his Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team will be hoping for success on home soil after also missing the previous round at Misano due to injury.

Bones continued: “In addition to this being the 12th round of 17, there’s also a lot of focus now on 2011, and teams are well under way with their planning. We have a lot of interest from teams for 2011, and hopefully that will be complemented and endorsed by success in Sunday’s Aragon race.

“For Aragon – with a view to the final third of the 2010 World Championship – we have improvements to the M210 with a revised frame, new triple clamps and an interim fuel tank and seat unit all being supplied and tested and available to all of the FTR teams.”

FTR Moto is looking to add to its tally of podium finishes this year in this weekend’s 11th round of the Moto2 World Championship at the Misano circuit near Rimini on Italy’s Adriatic coast.

FTR is also hoping to add to the two race victories with its M210 and also to complement the 13 top six finishes so far in 2010 as a reduced line-up of three M210 riders embark on the San Marino round at Misano.

The Fimmco Speed Up Team’s Andrea Iannone and Gabor Talmacsi are joined by Cardion AB Motoracing Team M210 rider Karel Abraham but Spaniard Alex Debon, of the Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team, will be missing after further injuring the shoulder he broke at Assen two months ago when Ukrainian Vladimir Ivanov took him out of last Sunday’s Indianapolis round.

Gabor Talmacsi

Talmacsi’s consistent point-scoring is matched only by series leader Toni Elias with Hungarian Talmacsi finishing in the top 10 in seven of the 10 races so far and having just one non finish, at Silverstone.

His team-mate Iannone – with six Grand Prix wins to his name – arrives from Indianapolis in confident mood after setting the fastest time in last Sunday’s American race, finishing fourth and knowing that only a qualifying crash robbed him of a potential third win of the year on the Fimmco Speed Up M210.

The concussion suffered in a crash at his home Czech Republic Grand Prix last month was sufficient to rule Karel Abraham out of the Indianapolis race last Sunday but the Cardion AB Motoracing Team rider is expected to return to action at Misano.

FTR’s Steve Bones continued: “I’m disappointed for Alex Debon as the crash last week and the one in Assen were not his fault. Hopefully he will be fit for the Aragon round in Spain in two weeks. The Speed Up guys have done a good job this year and last weekend put in a really impressive display.

“Andrea Iannone qualified on the front row for the 125cc race at Misano last year so we’d expect him to be on the pace and Gabor Talmacsi’s efforts so far this year deserve a podium finish which he will surely get very soon. We’re pleased Karel Abraham is feeling a lot better and hopefully able to go into Friday’s free practice at Misano in the kind of mood that brought him fourth place at Catalunya.”