BMW MotoGP prototype tests at Jerez

[Deans BMW]

Found this over at Pelican

Looks like it's definitely coming for the 2012 MotoGP season.
Positive first report (The bike proves 3.3secs slower than the fastest MotoGP rider of the test, but the machine is reliable.) for whatever that's worth:

"Marc VDS team manager Michael Bartholemy says he is happy with the shakedown performance of the much anticipated 1000cc Suter-BMW following three-days of trouble-free running at Jerez.
Swiss constructor Suter is planning a move to the MotoGP class in 2012 when regulations will allow for a prototype chassis to be built around a 1000cc engine, with leading Moto2 team Marc VDS earmarked to front development of the machine.
With IDM Supersport rider Damian Cudlin and some time Moto2 racer Carmelo Morales taking to testing duties, the bike managed more than 100 laps without a single mechanical problem, even if the first and third days was hampered by rainy conditions.
Testing on Michelin tyres, though the bike was still lapping around three and a half seconds slower than the Ducati of Karel Abraham by the test's conclusion, Bartholemy was very pleased with the performance of the machine.
"For a first rollout of the new bike the test has been very successful,” he said. “The weather has been a problem, restricting us to just one day of dry testing, but we still managed to complete over 100 laps on the bike with no issues at all.
“The bike definitely has potential; we've seen that here in Jerez this week. Now we need to sit down with Eskil Suter and his technical team to agree a development plan that will unlock this potential, starting at the next test in January.
“This is an exciting project and we are a part of it only because of the support of our President, Marc van der Straten, to whom I'd like to say a big thank you on behalf of the team."
His sentiments were echoed by Cudlin, who was delighted to be given the responsibility of riding the BMW-engined bike for the first time.
"Not many people get to ride a MotoGP bike, especially a prototype bike for 2012 like this one; it's pretty cool and it's been heaps of fun! We've learnt a whole lot about the bike and, while there's still a lot more to learn, the potential is definitely there.
“The weight, or lack of it, is impressive and the handling has been pretty much spot on from the start of the test; it feels a bit like a more powerful Moto2 machine in a lot of ways. This week we've taken the first small steps on what will be a fairly long journey, I'm excited to be a part of it and I'm looking forward to seeing how the bike turns out at the end of the journey.
“I've got the easy job really, riding the bike, it's all the clever people around me who will be taking on responsibility for development, but they've certainly done an impressive job so far."
Marc VDS Moto2 rider Scott Redding had been pencilled in to ride the bike on day three, but a crash during Moto2 testing on day two would land him in hospital and out of the test. The Briton high-sided out of the final turn, but his trip to hospital would merely be a precautionary one." (courtesy Crash.net)

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[DarthRider]

Cool.
Maybe BMW should let these guys build their WSBK bikes too. Just sayin'...

[Sir Limpsalot]

Eskil Suter is no mug. If he thinks it'll work, it'll work. Trust me. BMW on the grid for 2012? Bring it on. Perhaps this "production based" engine rule might yet prove to be the saviour of the Grands Prix. It's certainly going to give us some fantastic street bikes. A 1000cc vee-four Fireblade? Excellent!

[Deans BMW]

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Interesting update:

"A Moto1 bike broke cover at a test at Jerez last week. The Marc VDS team ran a BMW-powered Suter chassis with Damian Cudlin and Carmelo Morales at the controls. The team turned around a hundred laps over the three days (which team manager Michael Bartholemy described as trouble-free) despite poor weather for part of the test.

Although there is legal bickering between World Superbike promoter Infront Motor Sports and MotoGP promoter Dorna over these rules, there will be provisions that allow production engines in prototype frames in MotoGP for 2012. This sub-class will be called Moto1 fielded by teams operating under a set of regulations called the “Claiming Rules.”

Unless Infront finds a way to block it, the claiming rule teams, or CRTs, will be allowed to race MotoGP with more fuel and double the allotted engines per season compared with than their full-blown prototype competition.

It is hoped the CRTs will augment the alarmingly skimpy MotoGP grid. After all, the first year of the Moto2 era provided a big lift to the former 250GP grid.

Seeing a Moto1 bike on track more than a year in advance of the first race is a good thing and everyone is curious as to how fast the bike would be. The answer is around three or four seconds slower than a Ducati ridden by Karel Abraham, according to published lap times.

That’s not bad for a machine on its first voyage and piloted by good but not MotoGP-caliber riders. It is also said the motor wasn’t in a high-zoot state of tune, either, and the bike ran on Michelin wet tires part of the test. The team called the outing a “shakedown” and it was. They were looking for any obvious flaws and the bike ran.

But three seconds is an eternity in MotoGP.

There’s been talk around MotoGP that the claiming rule teams got a little too much leeway with the 2012 rules. The full-on MotoGP bikes have to sip fuel throughout the race to finish, and, although CRT bikes will have production-based engines, they won’t need to be nearly as frugal

After the results of this test, the current MotoGP boys won’t be losing any sleep wondering what might be just yet. Some cat on a CRT bike isn’t going to de-alienize the aliens. Mark that myth busted.

That said, the presence of the Suter-BMW is very positive. Eskil Suter’s firm has a good foothold in Moto2. Suter has a history with Kawasaki, Petronas, and others, and a dozen of the firm’s bikes were entered at some Moto2 races. They have proved they can produce a good race bike… one that happened to be the cheapest Moto2 machine as well.

They are the exact target of Moto1, as is the serious Marc VDS squad. The way to expand the grid isn’t to court new manufacturers or to get the ones involved to field more bikes. The manufacturers, in general, are broke these days. The way to pump up the grid is to give firms already racing in another series a viable manner in which to step up to MotoGP. Not much can be done about the fixed costs of racing like travel and salaries, but Motot1 is way cheaper than leasing bikes from a manufacturer.

The grid size problem is an issue, but the real reason people buy tickets or tune in is to see Rossi, Lorenzo, Hayden, Stoner, Pedrosa, Spies and the other stars. However, racing isn’t always great at the front, and the show needs compelling battles throughout to add to the spectacle.

If the goal is to pull new blood into MotoGP, the Suter-BMW project shows promise. The question now is who else will take the bait?"