With the names of the teams admitted to the next stage of the entry process for the 2012 MotoGP season, attention is turning to who will be supplying the future teams with bikes. It is an open secret that Norton have submitted a request for two grid slots for next season, entering as a factory team - therefore limited to 9 engines for a season and 21 liters of fuel. But the more interesting prospect is who will be riding what as a CRT team, with a range of possibilities open.
As far as chassis are concerned, Suter, FTR, Kalex and Moriwaki are all either building or believed to be building a CRT frame. But what engine to hang in that frame is a rather different question. The rules state that the engines may have a maximum of four cylinders and a maximum bore of 81mm, and outside of custom-built MotoGP engines (rumors abound of KTM putting their old V4 MotoGP engine back into service), the two production engines being pointed to as a starting point for a MotoGP CRT machine are the BMW S1000RR lump and Aprilia's RSV4 unit. Both engines are close to the 81mm bore limit, and both have proven they are easily capable of producing the horsepower. That the BMW engine will be used is beyond question, as Suter are already testing the lump in their CRT machine.
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