With confidence high. That’s how Toprak Razgatlioglu is feeling after the Superbike World Championship tests in Portimão, where the Turkish rider once again showed that he is adapting well to the BMW.
In statements to the international press, the rider said that he had the pace to win if he had raced in Australia. Today, quoted on the championship’s official website, Razgatlioglu emphasized that he is almost 100% ready: ‘It was a fantastic day because we did a very good job. Now, we are 99% ready to race; the feeling is good. Every day we are improving because we are improving the bike. On the second day, with the SC0 tire, I did some 1’39.8s, maybe three or four times. With the SCX, I did 1’39.2s; it’s an unbelievable time! I was really surprised’.
He also expressed gratitude to a rival team that had no problem “helping” him: ‘At the end of the day, thanks to Bonovo, because we asked for an SCQ tire, but we only improved by a tenth. I couldn’t get a 1’38s, but maybe next time! I did 15 laps in a race simulation. In two laps, I did 1’39.9s and then I stayed in the 1’40s, which are very strong times with the SC0 tire’.
Nevertheless, he believes there is room for improvement: ‘It seems like we are ready to race, but we are still learning. I feel that the bike is my bike, I’m riding in my style. The turning is not 100%, but we are close. Every day we are learning and improving’.
