FTR Moto

Last updated

FTR Moto Ltd
Type Private company
Industry Mechanical engineering, Motorcycles
Founded1994 as Fabrication Techniques
FounderSteve Bones & Mark Taylor
Defunct2016 [1]
Headquarters,
England
Products Chassis, Frames
OwnerIn liquidation [2]

FTR Moto Ltd was a British motorcycle parts and frame manufacturer. The name was an acronym for Fabrication Techniques Racing Motorcycles. [3]

Contents

History

The company was founded in 1994 as Fabrication Techniques by Steve Bones and in 1995 helped Kenny Roberts and TWR to build the chassis for their Modenas KR3 (later Proton KR3) motorcycle. The firm then supplied several teams in Grand Prix motorcycle racing and Superbike World Championship [3] and in 2001 contributed to the Petronas FP1 chassis. [4]

Santiago Hernandez on the FTR M211 motorcycle Santiago Hernandez 2011 Estoril.jpg
Santiago Hernández on the FTR M211 motorcycle

Motorcycle chassis manufacturing

The FTR Moto brand, related to motorcycle racing chassis production, was launched in 2009. The company constructed a chassis for the first season of the newly established Moto2 class in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The first victory by the manufacturer was achieved by Karel Abraham in the 2010 Valencian Grand Prix. [5] For 2012 season entered also the then-new Moto3 class and the top class, MotoGP, as a manufacturer. [3] In the 2012 Qatar Grand Prix Maverick Viñales won the first Moto3 race aboard a Honda-powered FTR chassis, [6] while in MotoGP the company followed the Claiming Rule Teams' regulations and supplied its chassis to the Honda-powered Gresini Racing's bike and to Avintia Racing Kawasaki-powered BQR (also named BQR-FTR) machines. [7]

Demise

In 2012 the company was sold for over £400,000 to the Heads of the Valleys Development Company, a private business trying to promote the possibility of establishing an entirely new motor racing circuit, provisionally known as the Circuit of Wales. [7] [8]

The business declared substantial losses each year since purchase in 2012 and had stopped producing frames. [8] Motorcycle News reported in 2016 that the new owners wanted production transferred to Wales, and had envisaged a British-built motorcycle, with a British rider, racing on a new British track. [8]

In late 2016 the business entered insolvency, [9] with liabilities believed to be over £500,000. [8]

As of June 2017, administrators Lucas Johnson had instructed a marketer to advertise FTR's Intellectual Property assets for sale, [1] including "Goodwill Rights in the FTR Moto Brand" and "Rights in the Registered Trade Mark and Unregistered Trade Marks". [10] FTR went into liquidation in May 2018. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tito Rabat</span> Spanish motorcycle racer

Esteve "Tito" Rabat Bergada is a Spanish motorcycle racer. He is best known for winning the 2014 Moto2 World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Dovizioso</span> Italian motorcycle racer

Andrea Dovizioso is an Italian former professional motorcycle racer. He raced with WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team for the 2022 season but announced his intended-retirement after the Misano round in September. Dovizioso was the 2004 125cc World Champion, but is best known for his time with the Ducati Team in the MotoGP class, finishing championship runner-up to Marc Márquez for three consecutive seasons in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 MotoGP World Championship</span> Sports season

The 2012 MotoGP World Championship season was the 64th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Casey Stoner started the season as the defending World Champion, while Honda was the defending Manufacturers' Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 MotoGP World Championship</span> Sports season

The 2013 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 65th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix</span>

The 2012 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix was the fifth round of the 2012 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season and the 17th Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix. It took place on the weekend of 1–3 June 2012 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló, Barcelona, Spain. The three classes of motorcycle racing which took place during the weekend were MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 MotoGP World Championship</span> Sports season

The 2014 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 66th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Marc Márquez started the season as the defending riders' champion in the MotoGP category, with Honda the defending manufacturers' champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Moto3 World Championship</span>

The 2014 FIM Moto3 World Championship was a part of the 66th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Maverick Viñales was the reigning series champion, but did not contest the season as he moved to the series' intermediate class, Moto2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esponsorama Racing</span> European motorcycle racing team

Esponsorama Racing is a motorcycle racing team competing in the MotoE World Championship under the name Avintia Esponsorama Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Moto3 World Championship</span>

The 2015 FIM Moto3 World Championship was a part of the 67th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Álex Márquez was the reigning series champion but he did not defend his title as he joined the series' intermediate class, Moto2. Danny Kent became Great Britain's first Grand Prix motorcycle world champion since Barry Sheene in 1977, by winning the championship at the final race of the season in Valencia. Leopard Racing rider Kent started the season with wins at three of the first four races and his lowest finish in the first half of the season was fourth, leading the championship by 66 points at the mid-season break. He only visited the podium once in the second half of the season – a victory at Silverstone – as Enea Bastianini and latterly, Miguel Oliveira started to cut into his advantage. Oliveira trailed Kent by 110 points with 6 races remaining, but finished with 4 wins and 2 seconds in those races, and took the championship race to the final event as he became the closest challenger to Kent. Ultimately, Kent's ninth-place finish in Valencia gave him the championship by six points over Oliveira; both riders finished with six wins each, as Oliveira became Portugal's first motorcycle Grand Prix race-winner. Bastianini finished third in the championship, fifty-three points behind Kent; he won one race during the season, at Misano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzuki GSX-RR</span> Type of motorcycle

The Suzuki GSX-RR was a road racing motorcycle developed to race in the 1,000 cc (61 cu in) MotoGP series. Officially introduced on 30 September 2014 as the GSV-R replacement, it was developed by Suzuki since 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix</span>

The 2014 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix was the sixteenth round of the 2014 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Phillip Island on 19 October 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix</span>

The 2014 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix was the seventeenth round of the 2014 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang on 26 October 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix</span>

The 2014 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix was the eighteenth and last round of the 2014 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia on 9 November 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 MotoGP World Championship</span> Season of motorcycle racing

The 2017 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 69th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Moto2 World Championship</span>

The 2017 FIM Moto2 World Championship was a part of the 69th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 MotoGP World Championship</span> 70th running of the MotoGP World Championship

The 2018 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 70th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Marc Márquez entered the season as the reigning champion, with Repsol Honda being the reigning team champions and Honda the reigning constructors' champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Moto2 World Championship</span>

The 2018 FIM Moto2 World Championship was a part of the 70th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Franco Morbidelli was the reigning series champion, but he did not defend his title as he moved to the MotoGP class.

Grand Prix motorcycle racing sponsorship liveries have been used since the late 1960s, replacing the previously used national colours. With sponsors becoming more important with the rising costs in the motorcycle CC classes, many teams wanted to be able to display the logos of their sponsors as clearly as possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Moto3 World Championship</span> Sports season

The 2013 FIM Moto3 World Championship was a part of the 65th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The riders' championship title was won by Team Calvo rider Maverick Vinales and runner up by Alex Rins from Estrella Galicia 0,0.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Moto3 World Championship</span> Road racing season

The 2012 FIM Moto3 World Championship was a part of the 64th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. It was the inaugural season of Moto3.

References

  1. 1 2 Notice timeline for FTR MOTO LIMITED, Appointment of Administrators The Gazette, 3 November 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2017
  2. 1 2 Notice timeline for FTR MOTO LIMITED, Appointment of Liquidators The Gazette, 28 May 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2021
  3. 1 2 3 "About Us". ftrmoto.com. Archived from the original on 1 November 2012.
  4. "Selected motorcycle case histories". FabTech.org.uk. Fabrication Techniques. Archived from the original on 23 June 2010.
  5. "Moto2: Abraham claims debut win in Valencia cracker". Crash.net. Crash Media Group. 7 November 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  6. Lewis, Lisa (8 April 2012). "Moto3: Vinales victorious after fending off Fenati". Crash.net. Crash Media Group. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Circuit of Wales group buys FTR". Crash.net. Crash Media Group. 1 October 2012. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 4 FTR Moto folds after Circuit of Wales buy out Motorcycle News , 18 November 2016, Retrieved 26 August 2017
  9. FTR MOTO LIMITED at Companies House Retrieved 26 August 2017
  10. IP assets of FTR Moto, Metis Partners, 27 June 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017