Moto2: Forward Racing switches to Suter
Forward Racing will switch to Suter machinery for the 2018 Moto2 World Championship.
The decision follows a recent back-to-back test of the 2017 Suter and Kalex (as used by the team this season) with new riders Eric Granado and Stefano Manzi at Jerez.
'Both riders were immediately able to post competitive lap times and recognise the high potential of Swiss Motorcycle, which lead to the decision to race with Suter machinery during the next season,' said a Forward Racing statement.
'The team around Giovanni Cuzari, is now eagerly waiting for the arrival of the new 2018 motorcycles in order to prepare in the best possible way for the upcoming season.
'This collaboration is not restricted to be a simple material supply, but includes a stimulating test program especially, but not exclusively, in view of the preparation of the 2019 World Championship [when Triumph will take over the Moto2 engine supply].'
“I'm very happy to work again with Suter Industries, which were a vital part at the beginning of our Moto2 experience," said Cuzari. "This is a return to the origins; looking back to the past I see not only the same bike supplier but also Milena Koerner [team manager], who started the Moto2 experience with us.
"I still have very good memories of these years, the start of everything, a period of hard work that has rewarded us with fantastic results.
"During my latest visit to the headquarters, seven years after my last trip to Turbenthal, I saw great progress and a lot of investments made by this company and I think that Suter Industries is the only engineering in the championship that could bring important updates race by race.”
Suter has therefore been persuaded to remain on the Moto2 grid, despite recently announcing it would withdraw from the championship due to a lack of entries. Kiefer Racing has switched to KTM, which would have left only Intact GP .
"From a strategic point of view, participation in the Moto2 World Championship can no longer be justified [with only one team]," owner and founder Eskil Suter had said.
In response to that decision, Intact swiftly announced a Kalex deal.
"We are pleased to enter into a new partnership with Kalex and are all highly motivated for the upcoming season," commented Intact GP principal Jürgen Lingg.
Despite Eskil Suter's earlier words, Forward Racing is thus currently the only Suter entry for 2018.
"Since we had already virtually finished the 2018 material anyway, we have now agreed to enter into the cooperation with Forward Racing, especially with the view of the development of the new machine for 2019 with long term perspective", Suter said, upon confirming the new partnership.
"Our engineering work for the new Moto2 class bikes with the conversion to the new engines from 2019 has been running since many months. We will certainly put a competitive motorcycle on the wheels, and with Forward we have a testing platform on GP level."
