At the first race of the 2020 Enduro World Series in Zermatt, Mathew Stuttard was full of surprises – and we’re not just referring to his 8th place in the overall rankings. Also his Privateer 161 race bike attracted a great deal of attention with its 38 mm Öhlins prototype and a number of interesting details.
Englishman Matt Stuttard has been racing the EWS as a privateer for several years and managed to close his 2019 season with a very respectable 19th position in the overall rankings. Even when he’s not riding for his team, Matt can rely on the latest equipment thanks to several sponsors. His Privateer 161 was released last spring and caused quite a stir with its incredibly attractive price. We’ve already tested the Privateer 16 in our “The Best 2020 enduro bike under € 3,500” group test.
The 2020 EWS season, which was severely affected by the corona pandemic, kicked off with a very wet race in Zermatt. The adverse weather conditions forced organisers to postpone the event and cut down the race to only two stages. Quite obviously, Matt coped well with the filthy weather and managed to secure 8th overall. On the other two EWS races of the 2020 season, Matt placed 31st in Pietra Ligure and 30th in Finale, securing 16th place overall.
Ready to race in Zermatt: Matt with his Privateer 161 and the eye-catching Öhlins prototype fork with massive 38 mm stanchions. What might pass unnoticed is that Matt combined a L-size main frame (called P3 by Privateer) with an M-size swingarm (P2) to achieve a more lively handling for the technical trails of Zermatt.
Speaking of prototypes, the young Brit also used an unreleased version of Michelin Wild Enduro tires, which features a new rubber compound. While the Hunt Enduro Wide 29 wheels proved pretty tough in our test of the Privateer 161, they accelerate slowly and need energy to get going.
If you want to know more about his Privateer 161 bike, you can read our “The Best 2020 enduro bike under € 3,500” group test or head directly to Privateer’s website. We also tested the Privateer 141, which proved to be an exciting and sturdy allrounder.
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Words & Photos: Manne Schmitt