Razgatlioglu takes first BMW win in World Superbikes
It took only two rounds for Toprak Razgatlioglu to achieve his first race win with BMW in the Motul FIM Superbike Word Championship – the feat coming in Race 1 at Catalunya. The Turk then backed that up with victory in the Tissot Superpole Race and a podium in Race 2.
One of the high-profile rider movements in WorldSBK’s off-season, Razgatlioglu joined ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team after four seasons with the factory Yamaha team. The Turkish rider’s adaptation to the BMW M 1000 RR has been rapid, with strong results in pre-season testing and a podium in the Tissot Superpole Race in Round 1 at Phillip Island.
At Catalunya, Razgatlioglu qualified on pole and translated that into victory at a circuit he’s never previously won at. To make it sweeter, the 27-year-old also set a new race lap record.
“I am really happy for this moment because this is a dream,” Razgatlioglu said. “Not only for me, but for the team. We claimed two victories, and it has been an amazing weekend.
“I am also very happy for BMW. We are coming step by step and I think we will be stronger on other racetracks. This year, I think we can get many wins and I hope that we will be World Champions!”
Shaun Muir, Team Principal at ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK, added: “We were under a bit of pressure going into this round; where we know we have low grip conditions which definitely do not suit the M 1000 RR. As the weekend unfolded, it was clear that Toprak had sufficient pace to easily be in the top six, taking pole position was sensational and the racing results speak for themselves.
“I think that the BMW M 1000 RR is a bike that can win races and we’ve proven that now.”
The significance of Razgatlioglu’s Race 1 win at Catalunya is driven home by the fact it’s the first for BMW in more than a decade. While Michael van der Mark won the Tissot Superpole Race at Portimao in 2021, the last time a BMW rider won a WorldSBK feature race was back in 2013, when Chaz Davies was victorious at the Nurburgring.
