Although he was world champion in the World Superbike Championship, Toprak Razgatlioglu didn’t escape a scare during the season, with a crash that sidelined him for two rounds, and the rider recalled how he experienced that moment and his absence.
Razgatlioglu began by recalling another interview he had with Marca, in which he recalled precisely what he had said during his analysis of the area where he would later crash: ‘[…] I had an interview with Eurosport on that same corner. Before the interview, we were talking about the place and that there were only tires in that area. I said: «Maybe it’s not finished and they’ll put something else in later». And then I had the accident there’.
He went on to say that he was very upset by what had happened: ‘It was a scary accident. I was afraid, because I tried to change my position and turn, but I was lucky. I went to the hospital and immediately started walking, because my mother and sister were watching me and I wanted to show them that I was okay. But then I realized it was a big injury and I had to go back to the hospital. Then it wasn’t an easy month for me’.
The BMW rider then spoke about his absence, and how he gradually improved and regained his competitive pace and better physical condition: ‘I tried to come back quickly, because the World Championship was slipping away and I wasn’t riding in it. I missed two race weekends, but when I came back in Aragon, I did an incredible job, but it wasn’t the best race for me, because I got very tired, especially with my lungs. I hadn’t been able to do anything for a month, all I could do was rest and get on the bike. After four laps, I had to go to the pits just to breathe. My chief mechanic kept asking me if I was okay, because he’d never seen me like this. I was in a lot of pain, especially in my muscles. I was only fine sleeping, without moving. So in the race with Álvaro, in the last two or three laps, I had to drop the pace because I was exhausted’.