With the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship heading to the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, it was the first chance for key figures to discuss the news related to Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK duo Toprak Razgatlioglu and Andrea Locatelli. Speaking during Free Practice 1 at Misano, Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager Andrea Dosoli praised Locatelli following his renewal with Yamaha and hailed him as a future title contender.

Locatelli has enjoyed a stellar season so far in 2023 after finishing all but one race so far this season in the top five, claiming five podiums in 12 races so far this season. This podium tally means he has surpassed his tally from 2021 (four) and 2022 (two) in the first half of the season and he currently sits third in the Championship standings, directly behind teammate Razgatlioglu with the pair separated by just 34 points.

Explaining his thoughts on Locatelli renewing with Yamaha for another two seasons, up to and including the 2025 campaign, Dosoli said: “We believe the results that we have seen in the last three years, and the way this season is going, I’m convinced that if he makes another small step and we make another small step, he can be, in the future, a title contender.”

These sentiments were shared by Team Principal Paul Denning on Thursday, who said: “One important thing, that I’m not sure was clearly communicated or not because there was no need for it, but it’s important to recognise that Andrea was absolutely our target to renew whether or not Toprak stayed with Yamaha. The improvements he’s made this year are significant. He still has margin to do more to believe in himself more and the next step is for him to win a race and take it to the next level. We’re really happy with everything Andrea is doing. It was always the target to keep him with us. I believe he had a very good offer from a very strong competitor so we’re happy that he trusts in the group, Yamaha and the team and that he’s staying with us.”

Will Locatelli claim his maiden WorldSBK victory at Misano? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

In what was a mighty start to the day for the home riders, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) got his home-round weekend off to a flying start as he led the way in front of the Ducatisti in Friday’s FP1. The 2023 FIM Supersport World Championship battles promises to be a belter and with six Italians in the top seven places in WorldSSP FP1, it could be a battle amongst the home favourites this weekend.

Montella hit the top with less than ten minutes to go and was the rider to beat after FP1, with the #55 looking to get back to winning ways on home soil. Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) led the way for the majority of the session but was beaten come the close of the opening session of the weekend, just 0.028s behind Montella. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) took third ahead of wildcard Simone Corsi (Altogo Racing Team), who was looking very strong and got straight down to business. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) spoiled the Italian party at the front with fifth on his final lap.

In sixth Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) clinched sixth but did suffer a Turn 2 crash at the start of the session. He was able to remount and crack the top half-dozen. Seventh place went to another wildcard in Marco Bussolotti (Axon Seven Team), who is back in the WorldSBK paddock at home and riding well too. The most-recent race winner in WorldSSP, Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), took eighth place, ahead of Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) and Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), who completed the top ten. In the top ten, plenty of reasons for Italian fans to cheer as each nine of the ten places are occupied by an Italian rider, manufacturer or team – only van Straalen in P9 breaks the sequence.

Top six after WorldSSP FP1 at Misano, full results below:

1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 1’38.229s

2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +0.028s

3. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) +0.202s

4. Simone Corsi (Altogo Racing Team) +0.376s

5. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.432s

6. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +0.472s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) may have made headlines off-track in the build-up to the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, but he likewise made them on-track after FP1 at the Italian venue. A stone’s throw from the picturesque Adriatic Sea, Razgatlioglu was riding a wave of confidence in FP1 as he secured top spot on the opening day of action for round five of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship.

Razgatlioglu was in mighty form and the 2021 World Champion was close behind long-time session leader Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) for the majority of the session. Toprak was one of the strongest riders in the test and his race pace was very strong, along with his one-lap strength. He leapt up the order on his penultimate flying lap, whilst second in FP1 at home, Rinaldi’s pace was strong from the start. He’s eager to continue his podium pace from Barcelona, whilst after a hat-trick last time out, teammate Alvaro Bautista completed the top three. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was fourth, one place ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), who had his sights on the top five this weekend.

Top Kawasaki honours went to Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), whilst it was a strong performance for Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), who was top BMW in seventh and the fastest rider in sector one. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was eighth after the first session as he got back up to speed at Misano, one place ahead of Xavi Vierge (Team HRC). His teammate, Iker Lecuona, completed the top ten. Setting an identical time in P11 and P12, Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and substitute teammate Tom Sykes respectively.

Top six from WorldSBK FP1 at Misano below, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 1’34.154s

2. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.242s

3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.311s

4. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) Team) +0.552s

5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +0.576s

6. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.662s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The first track action in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” got underway with French rider Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) topping the times at the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round. The French rider was just over three tenths clear of his nearest rivals with plenty of home heroes featuring inside the top ten in the 30-minute Free Practice 1 session, including wildcard Bruno Ieraci (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) in second.

Di Sora had been running inside the top positions throughout the session but a late lap of 1’49.601s moved him to top spot ahead of teammate and wildcard rider Ieraci. Ieraci, who competed in WorldSSP300 on a full-time basis previously, is returning to the Championship as a wildcard and he impressed with second place, 0.314s behind his teammate. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) claimed third place after setting a 1’50.145s, half-a-second down on Ieraci.

Fourth down to ninth place were filled by Italian riders. Rookie Mattia Martella (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) was on top a few minutes from the end but was demoted down to fourth place after posting a 1’50.183s, finishing ahead of Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) who claimed fifth place and lapped 0.638s down on Di Sora. Devis Bergamini (ProGP Racing) also impressed on home soil as he rounded out the top six with sixth place.

Alessandro Zanca (Team#109 Kawasaki) claimed seventh spot despite completing only three laps during FP1 as he set a 1’50.327s, finishing ahead of Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) in eighth with the pair separated by only 0.004s. Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo – PI Performances) was ninth on his return from injury and lapped only 0.003s slower than Gaggi, while British rider Fenton Seabright (Kawasaki GP Project) rounded out the top ten.

The top six from WorldSSP300 FP1, full results here:

1 Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) 1’49.601s

2. Bruno Ieraci (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) +0.314s

3. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) +0.544s

4. Mattia Martella (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) +0.582s

5. Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) +0.638s

6. Devis Bergamini (ProGP Racing) +0.689s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is ready for the fifth round of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship from the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” and the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round. After the bombshell announcement that Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) will part ways with Yamaha at the end of 2023 in search of a “big, new challenge” with BMW, star riders have had their say on the move.

THE TITANIC TRIO BUT DIFFERENT: Bautista and Rea on their main rival’s big move

Long-time rival Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was very positive about Toprak’s move to BMW, stating: “I think Toprak’s move is an exciting one for everybody; for the Championship and Toprak. You can see with the evolution of the bike and how many new bikes they’re bringing out in a short space of time that they’re a manufacturer that’s very dedicated to being competitive. Of course, Toprak’s an incredible talent and super-fast so maybe he’s the missing link to put BMW at the front. I’m sure it’s going to be a very exciting challenge for him.”

Reigning World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) commented that his nearest title rival ‘wasn’t crazy’ in his switch to a new manufacturer: “It’s difficult to say something from the outside but what I say from the outside, but I don’t think it’s a crazy idea to switch team. Toprak knows the Yamaha very well and he knows his potential very well. BMW are working to hard to be competitive and maybe they want to be more competitive, so the fact that they want to have Toprak is a good signal that they want to fight for victories. They get one of the best riders in the Championship. They’ll put a lot of effort to have a competitive bike; with this kind of rider, if something isn’t working, it’s for the bike and the team because without doubt, Toprak’s ready to fight for victories.”

MIXED EMOTIONS: current BMW riders on Toprak joining the family in 2024

Current ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team rider Scott Redding was less positive about the move, and seemingly left him a bit puzzled: “I don’t know, honestly. It was quite a surprise to me and everybody. I don’t know what he can bring. It’s quite a mystery to me especially when I look at the riding style he has, it’s quite interesting. Time will tell. Not too much I can really say.”

Having made the switch from Yamaha to BMW for 2023, Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) gave insight into how he thinks the move will go: “About what Toprak can bring to the project, it speaks volumes. We’re making progress with the bike and if Toprak sees it, then it’s pretty obvious we’re going in a good way. He’s ridden a couple of different bikes but he’s a solid rider and has so much talent. I’m curious to hear what we says about it, what he likes and doesn’t. For me, it wasn’t that big of a challenge it seems like. I was impressed with how the front end felt, which will be good for Toprak as he’s always on the front wheel! It’s going to be a rocket ship for him. The amount of power that the bike has compared to the Yamaha is pretty impressive. When you get on the straight and open the thing up… I think he’ll like that.”

Tom Sykes, Redding’s teammate until full-time rider Michael van der Mark is back from injury, was intrigued by the move and is ready for the fireworks: “It’s a very big signing! It’s a bit exciting! We know Toprak and he’s a World Champion. It will be very interesting. For myself inside BMW, for the first two seasons, I had my own expectation and belief about where the project will go. I think Toprak and Kenan have the same expectations and for this, I wish Toprak all the best of luck, he’s such a nice guy. BMW are always trying to improve, as is everyone else, so we’ll see where this project goes with them together.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

There are several key questions in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship right now in terms of the 2024 rider line-up and one of them involves who will join Andrea Locatelli at Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK following the news that Toprak Razgatligolu would join the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for 2024. Ahead of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, key figures from Yamaha discussed the manufacturer’s plans following Razgatlioglu’s departure.

DOSOLI’S THOUGHTS: hoping to promote from within…

Andrea Dosoli, Road Racing Manager at Yamaha Motor Europe, explained the next steps for Yamaha from the manufacturer’s side. Previously, Yamaha have tried to promote from within with such as when Locatelli went from winning the World Supersport title on a Yamaha in 2020 and straight into the factory Yamaha WorldSBK squad in 2021. Dosoli discussed the timeframe and outlined what he wants to see from the rider who takes Razgatlioglu’s seat in 2024.

Dosoli said: “I’m sure you can see the huge investment that Yamaha have made this year. Currently, we have six riders in WorldSBK with a Yamaha Motor Europe contract. We will keep monitoring how those guys will develop and, in the next couple of months, if we realise one of them will have the potential to fill the seat of Toprak, I hope it will be given to one of our riders. If this does not happen, it means our riders need more time to fight with ‘Loka’, in that case we will start to look outside for other riders.”

DENNING SAYS: no news on Locatelli’s 2024 teammate

Paul Denning, Team Principal at Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK, was on hand to discuss Razgatlioglu’s departure from a team point of view. Although Denning was not drawn into conversations about who could be Locatelli’s teammate next season, he was full of praise for the Italian rider who is enjoying his best season in WorldSBK to date with five podiums in the first four rounds so far, exceeding his total in each of the last three campaigns.

Denning explained: “Right now, we’re focused on putting the best solutions together for next year but, more importantly, trying to become World Champions again with Toprak this year. It’s important to recognise that Andrea was absolutely our target to renew whether or not Toprak stayed with Yamaha. The improvements he’s made this year are significant. He still has margin to do more, to believe in himself more and the next step is for him to win a race and take it to the next level. We’re really happy with everything that he’s doing. It was always the target to keep him with us. I can tell you nothing about Locatelli’s teammate.”

LOCATELLI REACTS: ‘maybe a chance to have more focus on me’

Locatelli has been teammates with Razgatlioglu since he joined the Pata Yamaha squad in 2021 after his stunning WorldSSP title success, meaning 2024 will be his first time with a different teammate in the box. Ahead of his home round where he will be aiming to claim his first WorldSBK win and take his first podium at Misano, Locatelli discussed Razgatlioglu’s departure from Yamaha and gave his thoughts on the 2024 season, where he will remain with Yamaha after signing a new two-year contract.

He said: “It’s never easy to stay on Toprak’s side because he is a really fast rider and always trying to win the race. My target is try to complete the work and I think, maybe now, I have more chance to try and work on my side with Yamaha to try and improve a little bit more and get the focus only on me, try to push to have something that makes me a little bit faster. Just pushing on the gas, just enjoying and we will see what we can get.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” is always a dramatic setting for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and the 2023 season is no different, even on Thursday. What is more or less a ‘media day’, quotes and headlines were in abundance as the paddock reacts to one of the biggest transfers of all-time, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometon WorldSBK) set to leave Yamaha at the end of 2023 for a new challenge with BMW.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) “Very good memories with Yamaha… maybe in the future, we come back together. I needed a new challenge”

“It’s been a very long four seasons and also very good memories with Yamaha. It’s not easy to leave as I enjoyed working with this team. Sometimes, you need a new challenge and new motivation. I said if I stayed in WorldSBK, I needed a new challenge now. I’ve signed for a new team. I’m happy to stay in the WorldSBK paddock and now I go for a new challenge. It wasn’t easy. I was thinking about the MotoGP™ paddock and there weren’t many seats next year. The problem after four years is that it’s not easy to leave Yamaha. Maybe, in the future, we’ll come back together again. I’m feeling more motivation because I listen to some people say that ‘it’s not a winning bike, it’s not easy and no good results etc’. This is possibly a winning bike. This is a new dream for me and a big new challenge. It’s not easy. This is a big dream for Kenan and for me. Maybe next year and also 2025, we don’t know, we are fighting for the Championship. I hope we are winning it. This is the big dream.”

Paul Denning (Team principal, Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “The news was disappointing… the scary thing with Toprak is he still has margin to improve”

“I don’t want to talk about it. The news was disappointing because Yamaha and, of course, the team but mainly Yamaha, with the contract they offered Toprak, put in a huge effort to keep him. He wants to do something different for his future and that’s his choice. You can agree or disagree whether it’s the best choice for his career, that’s up to somebody else and I’m not going to say anything else. Maybe it’s harder because of the super close relationship with Toprak personally with all the members of the team, and all the success we’ve had together. He helped us to a World Championship but, equally, we’ve taken him to a World Championship. The scary thing with Toprak is he still has margin to improve in terms of some aspects of his work. I can tell you nothing about Andrea’s teammate next year.”

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “Toprak’s an incredible talent… maybe he’s the missing link to put BMW at the front”

“It’s always very hard to know how positive a test is when you’re testing solo. Jerez’s never been a great track for us. It was a good time to go there when we were guaranteed some hot conditions in the south of Spain and put together a package that we thought would improve our weak areas, which is when we’re in hot conditions we’re overloading the front tyre. The team came with some ideas and the positive thing is we left the test doing race simulations with the softer front and some good sensations. Of course, we have to take that to another track and also keep in our mind that we need to compare to our reference which is our competitors. Toprak’s an incredible talent and super-fast so maybe he’s the missing link to put BMW at the front. I’m sure it’s going to be a very exciting challenge for him.”

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “It’s always special to race at Misano…”

“It’s always very special to race here at Misano; it’s a special race for Ducati with it being a home race and it’s always nice to share the weekend with the Ducatisti and the Tifosi. I’m very confident for the weekend ahead. Our target is to try and find the feeling we have with the bike from the first rounds of the season. I’m looking forward to it and I’m quite motivated. You want to do well in front of all of the Ducati fans for their home race, but you also feel their support. It’s difficult to say something from the outside but what I say from the outside, but I don’t think it’s a crazy idea to switch team. Toprak knows the Yamaha very well and he knows his potential very well.”

Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I don’t know what he can bring… it’s quite a mystery to me. I have until July 15^th to make my decision”

“I don’t know, honestly. It was quite a surprise to me and everybody. I don’t know what he can bring. It’s quite a mystery to me especially when I look at the riding style he has, it’s quite interesting. Time will tell. Not too much I can really say. I have until July 15th to make my decision to stay with BMW or not. Of course, we’re working as hard as we can at BMW to make the bike as best as possible. We just need to see now the dust is settling with all the attention from Toprak because it was a shock to everybody. We are looking around, but our priority is stay with BMW. It’s been a hard two years for me. We’re working hard but it’s just not quite where I want to be.”

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “Maybe now, I have more chance to work more on my side with Yamaha and have the focus only on me”

“I am super happy. Honestly, it is really interesting to continue with Yamaha for next year and also 2025. I’ll try to push hard in every race and try to get my first win in WorldSBK. To continue with Yamaha is a good approach to try and continue my progress this season and also from the beginning, when I try and work with Yamaha. It’s never easy to be at the side of Toprak as he’s a really fast rider and always tries to win the race and is fast in the weekend. Maybe now, I have more chance to work more on my side with Yamaha and have the focus only on me. I’m more relaxed now I have the contract. Misano before was a bit difficult for me but now, I have more experience and, in the test, we understood a lot, so I think it’ll be a good weekend and we have a lot of fans that come here and support us.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “We are talking about 2024 and results speak better than words”

“This is a special track for me and the team as it is our home race. I’m really happy; after the test, we’re looking forward to the circuit tomorrow. For sure, it will be a tough weekend as it will be really hot but then also, maybe it’ll be raining on Sunday. It’ll be tricky but also fun. My family will come, the fans will come, so it’s special. It’s one of my favourite tracks and where we’re strong. It’ll be difficult to beat Alvaro all year but I am focused to ride well and have a good feeling with the bike and ride in a good way. If doing that allows me to be at the front until the finish line, I will be really happy. Ducati and Bautista together are a really strong weapon and I need to make a step to be there. Misano is the perfect track. We are talking about 2024 and results speak better than words. A positive weekend will help to be in a good seat for 2024.”

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing): “Italy is always special… I hope for a podium”

“I’m really happy to be here at Misano for my home round. I feel really good and I want to have a good weekend and try, I hope, to have the first podium of the season! This year, it’s really difficult because the level is really high. The guys are really fast. It’s really special. Italy is always special and a good place, and also, I’m happy because the family is here with me. I hope for a podium but it’s difficult. We are really near to the podium but every time we are near, but something happens. I hope this weekend will go in a good way. I don’t know about my future. It’s difficult. For the moment, it’s all stopped. We will see. After this weekend, I’d like to know more about my future but only my manager knows the answer.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock gets set for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, several riders swapped their race bikes for bicycles to take in the surroundings of Misano ahead of track action in Italy. Riders from all three classes took part in the event ahead of the round, with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) from WorldSBK and the WorldSSP top two, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) and Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) joined by WorldSSP300’s Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse). Check out the best photos from the event in the gallery at the top of this article.

Watch more incredible action from Misano using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Luca Vitali will make his MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship debut in 2023 as he replaces Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” this weekend. The 31-year-old Italian has a wealth of experience in a variety of classes and will also aim to utilise it at a circuit he knows well, with Misano being a stone’s throw from where’s from, Rimini. Konig is missing the round due to an ankle injury sustained in Barcelona at the start of May, after a Race 1 highside on Lap 2 at Turn 4.

Vitali has plenty of experience from within the WorldSBK paddock, last making an appearance in 2018 and the final season of the FIM European Superstock 1000 class, finish all races inside the top ten, with the exception of Portimao when he didn’t finish. A best result in the class is fourth, coming that year at Donington Park. He also has previous experience in Superstock 600 action, where he achieved a best result of fourth too, coming on two occasions, the last of which came at Magny-Cours in 2015, the final race for the class. Alongside his experience in the WorldSBK paddock, he also has 125cc Grand Prix experience with 17 starts.

However, his recent exploits have been onboard Superbike machinery in the CIV Italian Superbike class, with 18 podiums dating back to 2018, whilst last year gave him a first victory. In 2023, he has one podium to his name, coming at Misano in P2. Ahead of his WorldSBK debut at Misano, Vitali has seven podiums at the Italian venue across BMW and Honda machinery, but this weekend he’ll be aboard ZX-10RR Kawasaki machinery.

Posting on Facebook, it was a late call-up for Vitali: “This weekend, I’m going to take on a World Superbike race for the first time. I was planning on coming to see the round like every year, but the Orelac Racing MOVISIO team called me last night, which definitely changed my weekend plans! It’s going to be hard never tried this bike, let alone a WorldSBK bike, but lets see what we can get. Luckily, at least I know the track well. I’m very curious right now.”

Posting on Instagram, Oliver Konig shared his disappointment and not being able to ride, but stated that the health of his ankle has to come first: Unfortunately, the health of my ankle does not allow me to participate in the next WorldSBK event. So, for the safety of mine and the other riders, we have decided to skip this weekend and hopefully, we will be fully prepared for the next race. Good luck to the team at Misano. I apologise to all my supporters and partners.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock gets set for the 2023 Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the iconic Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, all eyes will be on Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) following the announcement that he would switch to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for 2024. Ahead of Round 5 of 2023, Kenan Sofuoglu, Razgatlioglu’s manager and five-time World Champion, discussed Razgatlioglu’s move to BMW for next season as well as how he hopes he can end his Yamaha career on a high note this season.

LONG TERM GOALS: “He has a two-year contract and, I believe, we will win the Championship…”

When Razgatlioglu lines up on the 2024 grid with BMW, the German manufacturer will become the third different manufacturer Razgatlioglu has raced for in WorldSBK alongside Kawasaki and Yamaha. He has claimed wins and podiums with both Kawasaki and Yamaha so far, as well as the 2021 title with the latter, but Sofuoglu believes that Razgatlioglu will be able to add more wins, podiums and titles to his collection when he joins BMW next season. The five-time WorldSSP Champion also likened the move to when Razgatlioglu left Kawasaki and joined Yamaha for 2020 where he won in Australia, in Race 1, to take his first Yamaha victory in his first race.

Explaining the long-term goals, Sofuoglu said: “Toprak had an offer in 2020 to leave a winning package, when Jonny was winning everything. Kawasaki wanted him and he was very good on Kawasaki. Later, we moved to Yamaha and we won the Championship with Yamaha. The Yamaha movement made Toprak much more famous. If Toprak was the third Kawasaki and won Championships with Kawasaki, I think Toprak wouldn’t have been as famous as today. It’s very different to have Kawasaki fighting with Kawasaki or Kawasaki fighting with Yamaha as we did with the last contract. Now, we want to do this with BMW. Maybe not many people believe in us. We believe very much, me and Toprak. We believe 100% we are going to win the Championship with BMW. Time will show us, but this is what we believe.

“BMW are a very big brand and they are very excited to give us what we need. Toprak has enough talent to cover missing points. He has a two-year contract and, I believe, we will win the Championship. I can’t say which year, but we come to BMW to make BMW and ourselves Champions. They are fully ready for what Toprak needs to make it, even in the future. If Toprak asks, BMW are ready to deliver to Toprak what he needs to make the bike a Championship winning bike. This partnership came together to be Champions. We came together to make BMW World Champions. This is our main goal.”

JOINING BMW: “It’s one of the hardest challenges… Toprak wants to try it”

Razgatlioglu will leave his Yamaha YZF-R1 behind at the end of the year, in which he has won 33 races and taken a total of 93 podiums. He claimed the 2021 title after an incredible season-long fight with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) which culminated in a showdown in Indonesia. Sofuoglu discussed why Razgatlioglu opted to leave Yamaha for BMW next season, with the M1000RR proving to be less competitive in 2023 compared to the Yamaha although the team did score podiums last year with the old model.

Sofuoglu explained: “There was an offer from BMW. They were the first interested team for Toprak. We tried to deal with Yamaha and when BMW’s interest arrived, I told all of them very clearly, ‘first, we will speak with Yamaha and if we don’t make an agreement with them, we can start speaking’. We couldn’t deal with Yamaha, but it was not just for the money story but mainly, in our mind, to make the change. I saw that Toprak was most interested in BMW. He knows, and we know, it’s one of the hardest challenges it can be. Toprak wants to try it. BMW’s never been WorldSBK Champion. They’ve had some good results but have never been the Champion. If you look at the results right now, we can’t say it’s going to be easy for us. I give my full support to Toprak. I believe he’s very talented and this is why I fully support him for his excitement with BMW. In the end, we found an agreement. I already see, this spring, very good excitement from Toprak. We saw it at the last test at Misano. We were very close to the deal at this test and Toprak was very excited to continue in WorldSBK with a new challenge. People were telling him it would be difficult, but he wanted to see what he could do with BMW. This is what we needed. This was the main reason we made this change in WorldSBK.”

A STRUGGLE BEFORE ADAPTING? “I don’t think it’ll take a long time for Toprak to understand the bike”

BMW have changed their rider line-up on several occasions in recent seasons, first bringing in Michael van der Mark from Yamaha, with the Dutchman taking BMW’s last victory in a mixed conditions Portimao Tissot Superpole Race in 2021 as well as Scott Redding who came in at the start of the 2022 season. In recent years, they have also fielded Eugene Laverty and Tom Sykes, the latter of whom is back on a temporary basis as van der Mark recovers from a fractured leg. Razgatlioglu will become the latest to adapt from their current machine to the M1000RR and Sofuoglu outlined the short-term goals for the 2021 Champion.

He said: “Yamaha haven’t allowed us to start early testing. In the WorldSBK paddock, normally every team allows riders after the final race, but Yamaha didn’t give us the green light to jump on the bike after the final race. Toprak is very hungry to jump on the BMW. I think the team will prepare a very good testing programme for Toprak. I don’t think it will take a long time for Toprak to understand the bike and start to have good results. Maybe this time next year, I guess, we will have the first podium. Winning, we have to see, but I can tell you Toprak will start with BMW with a podium opportunity. Maybe winning but we’ll have to see later. I’m sure about it.”

LEAVING YAMAHA ON A HIGH: “We want to win the Championship…”

Razgatlioglu took the 2021 title with Yamaha and fought with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) last year as he looked to retain it. However, the Spanish rider prevailed as he claimed his first WorldSBK crown and he currently holds a 69-point advantage over Razgatlioglu after four rounds. Sofuoglu discussed the Ducati-Bautista package as well as the aim of Razgatlioglu leaving Yamaha on a high with more victories and, potentially, the Championship.

Discussing this, Sofuoglu said: “We want to win the Championship, but we have to be realistic. Bautista is too strong. Personally, I never see it as Ducati are too good because Bautista is winning. I think, together, they are very good. Bautista is the one rider using the Ducati like he needs to. This package is together is too strong and it looks like it’ll be difficult to beat them. I am very confident that there are some races Toprak will be very strong and beat Bautista. This could be at Misano. This could be much more likely at Donington and Imola. There are a few races where Bautista will have a hard time. Generally, if you look at the whole season, Bautista can win the Championship, but I think there are a lot of races that we can win.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com