While competing in the 250cc world championships, Eskil Suter founded Suter Racing Technology. Over the years, his company has built a reputation for excellence in motorcycle design, whether in Moto2, Moto3, WSBK, MXGP and S1GP. They also launched into MotoGP, when the CRT category existed, with the MMX1, a motorcycle which was tested in 2010/2011 then participated in the 2012 season. The development bike is currently up for auction.
Suter is not an unknown brand for motorcycle fans. Swiss Grand Prix rider Eskil Suter founded the company Suter Racing Technology (SRT) in 1996 while he was still competing as a rider in the 250 cc class. After his racing career, SRT developed a World Superbike championship engine for the Petronas F1 team and contributed to Kawasaki's MotoGP efforts between 2004 and 2006. When Dorna wanted to replace the 250cc 2T with Moto2, Suter designed a chassis that won three consecutive manufacturers' championships, between 2010 and 2012.
Following these successes in the intermediate category, SRT set its sights on MotoGP. This time, the company launched the first CRT prototype built by Suter combined with a BMW engine during the 2012 season. Before committing to a full season, Finnish driver Mika Kallio, at the time with Marc VDS, helped develop the Suter machine in 2011, ironing out kinks ahead of the upcoming season.
SRT then teamed up with Team Forward and brought in American driver Colin Edwards to pilot the Suter/BMW. Colin Edwards tested the Suter during the three MotoGP tests leading up to the 2012 season. Despite all the hours spent on track, the #001 bike was used strictly for development purposes.
As Eskil Suter himself attests, “Prototype 001 had a career as a testing motorcycle allowing work on the development of the engine control system. It has been used with many instruments for Bosch Motorsport and ridden by many riders, such as Alex De Angelis and Dominik Aegerter, to complete the development and calibration of vehicle control strategies required by the MotoGP category. »
Then SRT mainly used it for presentation purposes and this prototype has not been used since 2018. However, Suter restored the machine in 2020 to meet current specifications. Now an engine from BMW S1000RR is installed in the machine with a new Bosch MS5.0 ECU. The Ohlins TTX fork and rear shock absorber are the latest from the Swedish brand, while the Brembo monobloc calipers are the ultimate in braking.
The OZ Racing forged magnesium wheels keep the weight at 154 kg and the engine passed into the hands of the Swiss genius Suter develops 226 horsepower. Thanks to these formidable figures, the No. 001 Suter prototype can reach a top speed of 325 km/h.
The machine is sold by Eskil Suter itself and it is currently on view at the brand's headquarters in Turbenthal, Switzerland. Iconic Motorcycle Auction Ends May 27, 2021, and the machine is currently at a reasonable price. This Suter is a piece of competition history…
