FTR MOTO SCOOPS VALENCIA 1-2 FTR MOTO took its first ever 1-2 Grand Prix finish as Karel Abraham won Sunday’s thrilling 17th and final round of the Moto2 World Championship at Valencia in Spain. The FTR M210 machine also collected the fastest lap and the best top speed recorded in the year’s final race. Czech Republic rider Abraham, 20, looked set for a podium finish as he held second and third places during the 27-lap race but the Cardion AB Motoracing Team rider never led until halfway around the final lap at the 2.49-mile circuit all after setting the fastest lap of the race on lap 13. As four riders did battle for the lead on the last lap, Abraham took advantage, moved from third to first and held on for his first win on the M210. He crossed the finish line just 0.5s ahead of fellow FTR rider Andrea Iannone, on the FIMMCO Speed Up Team machine. As well as handing Buckingham-based FTR Moto its first 1-2 finish the result also took the FTR podium-finish tally to 12 for the M210. And, of the four FTR riders in the 2010 World Championship, Abraham’s victory ensured three of them finished in the top 10. Race winner Abraham said: “This feels fantastic. As a team we wanted to prove that we are good enough to challenge at this highest level and we have done that. But, also, I was a little lucky to win today after it all went a bit crazy on that last lap.” Iannone’s runner-up place came after the Italian led for 20 laps on his M210 and at one point he had a two-second lead but the FIMMCO Speed Up Team ace three times a race winner this year was reeled in and forced to battle hard for his eventual runner-up finish. Gabor Talmacsi on the second FIMMCO Speed Up Team M210 finished 10th, improving from his 12th slot on the grid and to guarantee his sixth place in the final Championship points standings. A determined Alex Debon riding with a fractured shoulder on his Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team M210 fought bravely from 25th place on the grid to finish in the points in 13th place and to end his campaign in 16th place in the Moto2 World Championship. Debon and his FTR machine also recorded the best top speed of the Valencia race at 166.68mph/268.40kmh. “What a fantastic way to end our first year in the Moto2 World Championship,” said FTR’S Steve Bones. “We’ve watched Karel Abraham develop in an almost perfect, methodical and progressive manner since he first rode the FTR M210 at Le Mans and to see him win is just superb.” He continued: “To get a first 1-2 for FTR is something special and gives us further momentum going into the winter testing programme and to prepare the M211 to challenge for next year’s title. And, with the FTR/Speed Up corrected Constructors Championship points, we’re only about 40 points from winning that title which gives us another target for 2011.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo capped his title winning 2010 MotoGP season by taking his ninth win in front of his home fans in Valencia, Spain on Sunday, Nov. 7. As well, teammate Valentino Rossi finished third in his 117th and final appearance for Yamaha, bringing to a close a wonderful seven-year partnership with the extraordinary YZR-M1. Meanwhile the Yamaha Tech 3 duo of Ben Spies and Colin Edwards completed the season by finishing fourth and 12th, respectively. While Lorenzo took the MotoGP championship, Rossi finished the season third in points, with Spies sixth in his rookie season and Edwards in 11th. Both Lorenzo and Rossi dropped places at the start of the 30-lap event, with Jorge slipping from second to fifth, and Valentino going from fourth to ninth. Then Lorenzo almost crashed looking for a way past Marco Simoncelli, and although he made a spectacular save, the new world champ dropped several more places as Rossi advanced to fourth. Lorenzo soon began regaining positions though, and after 10 laps the order was Casey Stoner, Rossi and Lorenzo. But Lorenzo was unstoppable, and the cool-headed 23-year-old eventually passed Rossi and then stormed ahead of Stoner with seven laps remaining. The win brought Lorenzo’s points tally to 383, a new MotoGP season record. “Winning here in front of my home crowd at this special track is one of the happiest moments of my life,” Lorenzo said afterwards. “We are proud to have got the record for the most number of points with 383 I used to be known as a crazy rider who crashed too much so to demonstrate consistency in this way makes me proud. Thanks to Yamaha and everyone involved for a fantastic season now we have time to celebrate tonight before we start working for 2011 on Tuesday. Finally I want to say goodbye and good luck to Valentino I am looking forward to racing him next year!” Rossi added, “Honestly I’m happy with this final result with Yamaha, because we had a difficult weekend here. Arriving on the podium was my way to say ‘thank you’ to my bike, to Yamaha and to all the people who have worked with me in these seven seasons. It’s been a great experience and I have enjoyed it so much. Forty-six is a great number of wins of course I wanted more but I think I can be happy with what I have done here. It’s been a wonderful seven years, great fun with a special atmosphere, many fantastic victories and four world championships. Thank you to everyone we have wonderful memories.”