Motourage

FTR Moto is aiming to repeat its double podium finish of 2010 in this Sunday’s 13th round of the Moto2 World Championship at Motorland Aragon in Spain.

FTR machines finished first and third at Aragon last year, and M211-mounted youngsters Pol Espargaro (HP Tuenti Speed Up) and Esteve Rabat (Blusens-STX) will both be looking for victory on home soil after taking podium finishes already in this campaign.

Rabat sits in ninth place in the World Championship points standings with Espargaro 17th, just 19 points behind 10th place in the closely fought series. Italian Simone Corsi, on the Ioda Racing Project M211, remains the highest-placed FTR rider. Corsi is in sixth place after tremendous consistency has seen the five-times 125cc GP race winner finish in the top 15 in every Moto2 race of 2011.

Corsi’s teammate, Mattia Pasini  continues to show the promise and potential of a race winner, aiming to add to his 10 grand prix victories in the final five races of 2011.

MZ-FTR rider Max Neukirchner aims to return to the form that led to seven point-scoring finishes from the first eight rounds this year, while his teammate Anthony West continues his quest to repeat the performance of Assen, Holland in June when he took fourth place.

Yonny Hernandez will return from injury on the Blusens-STX team’s M211 alongside Rabat and Kenny Noyes (FOGI/GP Tech M211) – with both Rabat and Noyes hoping to benefit from a Valencia test last week.

Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda Singha SAG) and teammate Santiago Hernandez will be out to secure valuable World Championship points at a crucial stage of the season as will Valentin Debise on the Speed Up M211, while Joan Olive will represent Alex Debon’s Aeroport de Castello team at Aragon and for the remainder of 2011.

“Aragon is a really important race for everyone,” explained FTR’s Steve Bones. “There are three rounds outside Europe after this before the Valencia final round in November so all teams and riders will begin to switch a little focus to 2012 and many riders will be out to impress. I think we are pretty well placed for a win with the younger FTR riders now firmly displaying their obvious potential.”