In recent years, Toprak Razgatlioglu has been one of the most prominent riders in Superbikes and there has been much talk about his potential move to MotoGP, but the Turkish rider is firmly established in WSBK and even decided months ago that he would change teams in the category. For the former world champion, there is a particular aspect in the premier class of motorcycle racing that he does not like.
Currently (still) with Yamaha, he recently gave an interview to Sport where he highlighted some important points.
About his performance in the championship, he emphasized that he is not obsessed with winning or losing the title, and instead, his main goal is to win races as he mentioned: ‘The only thing on my mind right now is winning races.’
He then made a comparison with MotoGP, a bike he has had the opportunity to test – the M1 – mentioning that he did not have the best sensations: ‘To be honest, I didn’t have a good feeling with the M1. I couldn’t show my potential,’ adding that the atmosphere in MotoGP is quite different from what is experienced in Superbikes, as everyone acts like ‘stars,’ something that does not happen in WSBK, in a more familiar environment.
Regarding pressure, which does not affect him as he remains a calm and composed rider, he admitted: ‘Honestly, I don’t even understand it myself. This year, there is no stress. I approach every season very calmly.’
Weight control in SBK: Recently, there has been talk of establishing a combined minimum weight for the rider and the bike in SBK to ensure that no brand or rider has an unfair advantage. Toprak believes that setting these limits would be ‘a good idea’.
The peculiar braking style is one of his trademarks and it helps the way he manages the tires, with the Turk explaining, ‘I try to adapt, but I try to brake as late and as hard as possible. It’s simply my style’.
