The long-standing history of the suspension manufacturer Reiger Suspension is defined by passion, innovation, and an unwavering pursuit of perfection in off-road motorsport.
Company founder, Gerard Seesing, an avid motocross rider, began building his own shock absorbers in the Netherlands during the 1970s, simply because he couldn’t afford new ones. Using discarded car and motorcycle shocks, along with a great deal of curiosity and craftsmanship, he developed his first prototypes; ones that quickly led him to race victories.
What started as a one-man operation gradually evolved over the decades into one of the most respected names in off-road suspension. Today, Reiger employs more than 70 people and, as part of KW automotive, supplies off-road suspension systems to teams around the globe, including numerous world champions and factory teams.
Over the years, the former garage has evolved into a renowned off-road suspension factory, where motorsport legends and the automotive industry converge.
In the early 1990s Mohammed Ben Sulayem, then an active rally driver and 14-time Middle East Rally Champion, knocked on Reiger Suspension’s door in the Netherlands, seeking a suspension system for his Ford rally car. Between 1983 and 2002, the man who is now President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the global governing body of motorsport, secured 61 international race victories.
Over the years, more and more rally drivers have switched to Reiger dampers. Including legends such as Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz, and Colin McRae. The latter won the legendary Safari Rally in Kenya with Reiger suspension and claimed his 25th WRC victory at the time. In 1996, Reiger dampers made their World Rally Championship debut in Indonesia. Since then, Ford and M-Sport have maintained a close partnership with Reiger.
Together, they celebrated WRC titles in 2006 and 2007. In 2017 and 2018, Ford and Reiger repeated their success, and in 2022, 2023, and 2024, Toyota Gazoo Racing secured the WRC manufacturers’ championship with Reiger suspension.
A similar story unfolds in the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), which has been held since 2022. So far, only Reiger-equipped teams have claimed overall victories.
Reiger customers have also celebrated numerous world titles, championship wins, and countless podium finishes in rallycross, trial competitions, World RX, Euro RX, and Super 1600, not to mention the Dakar Rally. In 2012, for example, all the top 10 vehicles completed the nearly 8,000-kilometer course with Reiger dampers.
Reiger’s success extends beyond motorsport – they’re now a benchmark in off-road suspension technology
What makes Reiger’s competition suspension systems so special is that they are custom-made. In close collaboration with each team or driver, the dampers are individually manufactured at the company’s facility in Hengelo, Netherlands with an impressive in-house production depth of 95 percent. A strong connection between real-world application and product development runs through the entire company philosophy.
After every Dakar Rally or WRC season, many teams component is tested, optimized, and integrated into the next generation of suspension systems. This continuous development process, along with the creation of new valve technologies, has made Reiger the undisputed leader in off-road suspension.
One milestone in this journey was the collaboration with Daniël Willemsen, a seven-time Sidecar Motocross World Champion and former Reiger employee. Together, they developed a completely new generation of finely adjustable off-road dampers and valves. Reiger introduced various mechanical-hydraulic systems, degressive, progressive, and regressive, that have since become benchmarks in off-road motorsport.
Reiger introduced various mechanical-hydraulic systems, degressive, progressive, and regressive, that have since become benchmarks in off-road motorsport. For example, Reiger developed the Rebound Control Valve (RCV). When a wheel briefly loses contact with the ground, such as on corrugated tracks, the system automatically adjusts rebound damping. This allows the wheel to return to the ground more quickly, significantly improving traction on challenging surfaces. The RCV only activates when there is no contact.
This was followed by the patented Corner Control Valve (CCV), which adjusts damping when entering corners to reduce body roll. The result: greater stability and higher cornering speeds.
Another innovation is the Intelligent Compression System (ICS), which enhances handling during jumps and landings. As soon as the vehicle takes off, the system activates specially tuned damping. This results in noticeably softer landings, improved ride comfort, and significantly better traction upon touchdown.
Notably, Guerlain Chicherit’s MINI ALL4 Racing, which performed the world’s first unassisted backflip in 2013, was equipped with this system. Reiger also introduced the Double Piston (DP) system, which creates a progressive damping curve that adapts to the suspension travel.
Within the damper stroke, an additional piston engages the main piston at a defined point, increasing damping, ideal for major impacts like jumps where maximum control is essential.
Compared to the DP system, Reiger’s Hydraulic Double Piston (HDP) system offers a smoother, hydraulically optimized transition in compression damping, making the shift between damping stages more seamless. Additionally, Reiger uses valves that automatically adapt to the viscosity of hydraulic oil under extreme temperatures. The result? Reiger dampers seem to “read” the terrain.
The gold standard at the Dakar Rally
Reiger Suspension has been a leading supplier at the Dakar Rally for years, though its journey began with truck teams as its first customers. Reiger’s breakthrough moment at Dakar started with an accident involving a Kamaz truck. When the Dutch DAF team stopped to rescue the injured Kamaz crew, a unique partnership was born.
As a gesture of gratitude, the Belgian-Dutch Hans Bekx team was invited to visit Kamaz. In return, Hans Bekx invited the Russian drivers to the Netherlands to test the DAF trucks equipped with Reiger dampers. The rest is history.
Since 2005, Kamaz trucks fitted with Reiger suspension have won the Dakar Rally in the truck category 14 times. In the years between, except for 2024, MAN and Iveco trucks with Reiger dampers also claimed victory.
This dominance in the truck category caught the attention of Sven Quandt, team principal of Q-Motorsport and one of the key figures in Rally Raid and Dakar history. Sven Quandt equipped his X-Raid MINIs with Reiger dampers and, together with Reiger, completely redesigned the axle suspension and steering system of the X-Raid MINI. The result: Dakar Rally victories in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020, and 2021.
Sven Quant and Reiger also played a pivotal role in supporting Audi Sport during the development of the Audi RS Q e-tron, which debuted at the Dakar Rally in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, it made history by becoming the first vehicle with an alternative drive concept to win the Dakar Rally. Incidentally, since 2019, every overall winner of the Dakar Rally has crossed the finish line with Reiger suspension a testament to the brand’s unmatched performance and reliability in the world’s toughest rally raid.
Part of KW automotive since 2021
To secure the future of Gerard and Anja Seesing’s life’s work, they sought a partner who shared their values. In Klaus and Jürgen Wohlfarth, the founders of KW automotive, they found not only successors but also kindred spirits. Since 2021, Reiger Suspension has been part of KW automotive. KW has established itself as the market leader in customized coilover suspension systems, ranging from road suspensions for sports cars to homologated motorsport dampers for the racetrack.
The integration of Reiger Suspension was a strategic move that unites and ideally complement suspension engineering for both off-road and on-road applications. All of Reiger’s motorsport solutions are developed at the company’s damper facility in Hengelo, Netherlands. Development is carried out across all locations in close collaboration with KW’s headquarters in Fichtenberg, Germany.
Before Reiger dampers are tested in the field, they undergo extensive validation in the development department. A state-of-the-art endurance test bench is used for this purpose, powered by vehicle-specific telemetry data recorded during real rally events.
These track profiles allow engineers to simulate realistic load scenarios and precisely test the function, durability, and performance of the dampers. The test cycles are designed to replicate the full duration of a Dakar Rally. The test bench technology supports forces of up to 110 kN, a maximum damper stroke of 300 mm, and accelerations of up to 6.5 m/s.
Reiger introduces a new off-road damper series for off-road vehicles and road-legal pickup trucks
In recent years, the development engineers at KW and Reiger have been working on a new generation of off-road dampers.
Among the first new releases is a 4-way adjustable off-road damper based on the KW Solid Piston design, delivering exceptional driving dynamics on both paved and unpaved roads. The Reiger SP-RC 3.0 damper will initially be available for models such as the Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, and Toyota Hilux.
Another new product is the Reiger MT-RC 2.5 monotube damper, derived directly from off-road motorsport. It features three-way adjustability, is optionally available with hydraulic bump stops, and is optimized for the most demanding conditions. It uses the same valve technology found in Reiger dampers used at the Dakar Rally. Also new is the MT-C 2.5 off-road damper, which also features a monotube design and incorporates proven Rally Raid valve technology. All of these new applications offer a lift of up to 60 millimeters, depending on the vehicle.
With decades of combined motorsport experience and cutting-edge technology, Reiger and KW are perfectly positioned to meet the challenges of the future. Whether in rallying, off-road, or production vehicles, the next generation of suspension systems will be more intelligent, more robust, and more powerful than ever before.
Photos KW, Reiger, MM Production, Audi, BMW, Ford, Toyota, Text C. Schmidt
