BQR confirms Kawasaki powered MotoGP entry

BQR has announced that it will step up to MotoGP this season, running Ivan Silva and Yonny Hernandez on Kawasaki-powered CRT machines.

The team will be officially called Avintia Racing, due to a 'strategic alliance' with construction company Avintia Group.

Spaniard Silva is a Spanish and European Formula Xtreme champion with four wild-card MotoGP starts to his name, while Colombian Hernandez has raced in Moto2 for the last two seasons.

BQR has been testing with both FTR-Kawasaki and Inmotec MotoGP machinery.

Although there was no mention of British company FTR in today's announcement and, despite the team stating that the MotoGP project will be "developed entirely in Spain", it now looks certain that they have chosen the FTR frame.

BQR joins Aspar as the only two-rider CRT entry and brings the number of announced CRT places to nine - the same as has been accepted by the FIM, suggesting the final 2012 MotoGP grid has now been formed.

BQR is the only CRT team to chose a Kawasaki powerplant. The cut-price CRT (Claiming Rule Team) entries will be allowed engine and fuel concessions to help them compete with the (twelve) factory-built bikes.

Avintia, which aims to be the leading CRT project in 2012, will also run former 125cc world champion Julian Simon in Moto2 and last year's race-winning 125cc rookie Maverick Vinales in Moto3.

Confirmed 2012 MotoGP riders:

1. Casey Stoner - Repsol Honda
2. Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda
3. Jorge Lorenzo - Factory Yamaha
4. Ben Spies - Factory Yamaha
5. Valentino Rossi - Ducati Marlboro
6. Nicky Hayden - Ducati Marlboro
7. Cal Crutchlow - Tech 3 Yamaha
8. Andrea Dovizioso - Tech 3 Yamaha
9. Hector Barbera - Pramac Ducati
10. Karel Abraham - Cardion AB Ducati
11. Alvaro Bautista - San Carlo Honda Gresini
12. Stefan Bradl - LCR Honda
13. Colin Edwards - NGM Forward Racing (Suter-BMW CRT)
14. Randy de Puniet - Aspar (Aprilia CRT)
15. Aleix Espargaro - Aspar (Aprilia CRT)
16. James Ellison - PBM (Aprilia CRT)
17. Anthony West - Speed Master (Aprilia CRT)
18. Michele Pirro - Gresini Racing (FTR-Honda CRT)
19. Danilo Petrucci - Ioda Racing (Ioda-Aprilia CRT)
20. Ivan Silva - Avintia Racing (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)
21. Yonny Hernandez - Avintia Racing (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)