While Toprak Razgatlioglu was fighting for the title with Yamaha, BMW was a modest manufacturer in the World Superbike Championship until 2023 – the year in which the factory team finished in ninth, even behind the secondary team, Bonovo Action.
None of the M 1000 RR bikes made it to the podium throughout the previous year, which was a worsening compared to 2022. Because of this, there was skepticism around Razgatlioglu’s decision to switch to ROKiT BMW this year.
But the Turkish rider quickly responded with performances and results, proving himself capable of fighting for wins and podiums from the very first race of the year. That year ended with 18 victories (13 of them consecutively).
Razgatlioglu didn’t hide that it was a special title, stating to Marca newspaper: ‘This last one was very special because no one believed in me and BMW. When I signed with them, many said it was the end of my career, but we achieved the title’.
