Monlau Motorsport is celebrating 25 years of motorsport excellence

Monlau Motorsport commemorating, this September, the first 25 years of life. It is a success story born from the need to meet the need for expert technicians in the field of motorsport and has become an international benchmark in the training of mechanics, engineers and drivers of two and four wheels. last name as Marquez, Lorenzo, Rins or Quartararo share the limelight with the thousands of unknown technicians now working in environments just as demanding Formula 1, MotoGP, WSBK or the WRCamong other specialties of FIA and FIMand they share a strong knowledge base that comes from an innovative proposition unmatched in the sector.

The project Monlau Motorsport came from the entrepreneurial vision of Pío Ventura, who decided to expand the training offer of the school group Monlau setting focus on motorsport. His experience in 1997 with Emilio Alzamora in the 250 cc world championship initiated, the following year, the creation of a training proposal for motorcycling competition mechanics, a professional category that was in high demand at the time. This decision marks a historic milestone in the world of motoring in Spain, a country traditionally known for its world leaders in the field of piloting, its exceptional organizational capacity and the wide variety of circuits, but lacking the wickerwork to weave a true motor industry. motorsport.

The success of the first promotions of two-wheel mechanics invited the management of Monlau Motorsport to expand the offer in the discipline of motor racing. This idea crystallized 2003 with the first major expansion of the group’s facilities, including the inauguration of a second 2,000 square meter center on Calle Potosí in Barcelona.

The school has grown with a solid base and in an accelerated way, because the new promotions of students are putting themselves professionally in the first scene of international motorsport. In parallel, the management Monlau Motorsportsince 2008 led by Iban Ventura, son of the founder, and Jaime Serrano, continued with an open mind to improve the offer of courses. And they did not take long to close the circle of motorsport training by putting an idea into practice: the creation of a new Master in Competition Engineering for Motorsports and Motorcycles. The new studies, aimed at graduate engineers, were launched face-to-face in 2010 and, since 2016, they also have an online modality in English and another in Spanish.

The specialization of the study plan, the quality and experience of a teacher of active teachers and the significant added value provided by the possibility to experience real competition are some of the ingredients that form the key to the success of Monlau Motul Technical School. This dual approach has been a reality since the origin of the school, and allows students to consolidate their learning in two stages: to begin with, in classroom workshops, if where they combine theory and practice, and then in real competitions and practice on circuits. An emblematic example of this way of understanding practice is the Monlau Motul Endurance Racea four-hour endurance race created solely for educational purposes to put student mechanics’ knowledge and skills of competitive motorcycling to the ultimate test.

The successive promotion of this triple training branch (mechanics, engineers and pilots) is working Monlau Motorsport in a major asset of the increasingly stable Spanish industry of motorsport. This proves the recognition that the institutions of the status of Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia (RACC) or the Royal Spanish Automobile Federation (RFEDA)and even the stamp Road to Dorna’s MotoGP. But, without a doubt, the main guarantee is the more than 1,800 mechanics and 362 engineers who have passed various educational promotions since the beginning. In fact, many of them cling to the elite of international specialties of FIM like MotoGP, WSBK, EWC and the FIA as the Formula 1, WRC, WEC, GTWC among other modalities; a number that continues to rise.

If excellence in education marks thousands of mechanics and engineers, this approach is also extended to the field that usually focuses on the light of flashes in the world of motor racing: of pilots. Growing many of them in Monlau Motorsport’s own structures has made it possible to complete a 360º view of the sport that has no equal anywhere in the world. On the motorcycling side, Monlau Motorsport boasts a list of winners that exceeds 150 victories and 16 titles, with stars of the stature of Marc Márquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Fabio Quartararo, Pecco Bagnaia, the brothers Aleix and Pol Espargaró, Álex Rins, Álex Márquez, Miguel Oliveira… The future of Spanish motorcycling has already happened Monlau Motorsport the best launch platform, as evidenced today by the Team Estrella Galicia 0’0 team, which competes in the FIM JuniorGP World Championship and the European Talent Cup and which, on its very 25th anniversary, won the Moto3 Junior World Championship with Jose Antonio Rueda.

The automotive division is also not far behind, with notable successes in national and international competitions and working alongside large manufacturers in the segment, such as Porsche Motorsport, Cupra Racing, Renault Sport, Michelin, Hankook… The path started by the hand of a school project in the 24 Hours of Barcelona in 2005 celebrated victories in circuits, rallies, mountains and karting. The trophy room includes many scepters, such as the recent European title of the TCE division of the 24H Series, also conquered in 2017, the victory in the 2019 Spa 24 hours with Porsche Motorsport-GPX, one of the toughest events in the entire international GT calendar, or the cumulative growth of the Spanish F4 team, among many others. Monlau Motorsport has seen top talents from the world of motorsport get behind the wheel of their touring cars, GTs and single-seaters, such as Carlos Sainz Jr., Kevin Estre, Michael Christensen, Richard Lietz, Markus Palttala, Pepe Oriola, David Cebrián, Jordi Gené, Óscar Nogués, Jurgen Smet, Alba Cano, Laia Sanz and Francesc Gutiérrezto cite a few examples.

Monlau arrived at the 25th anniversary full of health, as highlighted Iban Ventura, CEO of the Group: “It is a pride to see that my father’s dream 25 years ago has become a pioneering and unique project in the world, based on the training of three actors of motor sports. I still remember the first mechanics courses of motorcycling competition in the middle of the street Caracasas well as the first championships in which we participated and the first victories at the end of the 90s. Since then, I have two years in my memory that were key for Monlau Motorsport. The first, 2003, included the inauguration of the new building on Potosí street and the launch of the race car mechanics course. And the second, 2010, with the transfer of the competition departments to the facilities of Montcada i Reixac, and the premiere of the master’s degree in motorsport engineering in the same place. Over the years, thanks to the experience gained, the support of sponsors and collaborators, and the outstanding participation of all the staff, the training and sports projects have grown to become a benchmark in motorsport training. I would like to thank all the people who have contributed to the project in the first quarter of a century. We are still as excited as day one to continue training the drivers, engineers and mechanics of the future.”

The General Manager of Monlau Motorsport, Jaime Serrano, agrees with Ventura and points to the future: “We are excited to look back and observe all the successes achieved in different disciplines, but we look to the near future with the same passion and commitment. At Monlau Motul Technical School, we force ourselves to do the same as our drivers: always keep our heads up and prepare for the next curve by applying our successful 360-degree model. Our sports and training programs are constantly enriched by new experiences and championships, which lead to new milestones and demands, and because of this we are forced to stay at the forefront of the motorsport sector as true pioneers and benchmarks. Without the real ‘engine’ of the school, which is none other than the faculty and technical staff, it would not be possible to continue the successful training of the three motorsport players; motorsports and motorcycling drivers, mechanics and engineers. Thanks to all the sponsors who from the very beginning contributed their grain of sand and helped make the Monlau project a world reference. We will continue to apply the same initial values ​​to continue to enjoy and train mechanics and engineers and compete with our drivers”.

From 1997 to 2022, Monlau Motorsport closes a chapter in its history with golden letters and opens a new era that will strictly follow the ingredients of the recipe that marked its first 25 years: a pinch of excellence, a large portion of experiences and three core values: effort, sacrifice and passion.