Toprak Razgatlioglu has just one year left on his contract with ROKiT BMW in the World Superbike Championship – with the ambition of reaching MotoGP in 2026. Next season could therefore be his last with the Bavarian manufacturer.
BMW's sporting director, Marc Bongers, is aware that, whatever the future holds, the Turkish won't be with the team for long as he needs different challenges. He told SPEEDWEEK.com:
– We have a good set-up and we still have a year with him. But it's also clear that he has goals in life, he is extremely competitive, and he gets bored quickly. He won't be a five-time champion in a BMW because he needs different challenges - we're taking it step by step.
Whatever happens, Bongers knows that replacing Razgatlioglu will be an arduous task: ‘We can't yet say what will happen after next season, it's too early for that. At some point we may have to replace him, that will be a tough nut to crack’.
Until 2023, BMW didn't regularly fight for podiums in WSBK. That changed overnight with the arrival of Razgatlioglu, who became champion with a winning record in his first year - showing that, in the right hands, the M 1000 RR can have strong potential.
