It’ll be just a few weeks short of 14 years since Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) claimed his first MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship win Round 5, the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, takes place in early June and, to get you warmed up for the round, we are taking a trip down memory lane. This time it is to Rea’s maiden WorldSBK victory, in Race 2 in 2009, when he battled with Michel Fabrizio. The pair were separated by just 0.063s across the line as Rea denied Italy a famous home win but Rea was able to take the first of his 118 WorldSBK wins so far. Watch the full, incredible race by clicking the video at the top of this article.

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With a third of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship campaign in the history books already, the gap between the Catalunya and Emilia-Romagna Rounds is the perfect time to take stock of the season so far. That’s exactly what 2011 WorldSBK Champion did in an interview at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya during the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round and you can check out the first part of the interview HERE. In part two, Checa discusses Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) seasons so far as well as the 2023 rider line-up.

REA AND RAZGATLI0GLI’S POTENTIAL TEAMWORK: “everyone is working for themselves…”

During a parc ferme conversation at the Dutch Round, Rea and Razgatlioglu were in conversation with the 2021 Champion asking his rival why he didn’t attack Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) to be in a position to disrupt his rhythm and potentially fight for victory. Checa was asked about the pair potentially working together throughout 2023 to give his point of view on their fightback but believes the pair will work separately this season.

Checa said: “This is an individual sport, and everyone is working for themselves. Clearly, now, Alvaro is one step in front as Jonny and Kawasaki did in the past, as Toprak did in some moments, catching Jonny and beating him. Now Alvaro has arrived and beat them. Maybe with more room or space than they expected. He’s the reference. Now they need to catch Alvaro and the distance is quite big. I don’t know if they will be able to. It seems so difficult because Alvaro is controlling and riding over them, and he increased the lead quite a lot. I don’t think they will do any teamwork. It’s more a resignation, it seems they cannot fight to win so they will fight for second place. So far, if there’s no problem for Alvaro and Ducati, they need to fight for other positions. It’s clear that in some circuits they’ll be closer, I don’t know if they’ll be able to beat him, although it would be nice for the spectacle, because these three battling is what the fans like. But they have to do a great job, with their teams, with Yamaha and Kawasaki, because Ducati has done a big step forward and have found a rider who can take profit of the bike, which is Alvaro.”

THE CURRENT GRID: one of the strongest ever?

Six rookies joined the WorldSBK grid in 2023 with all having at least a domestic title to their name to make it one of the strongest rookie line-ups, and adding those riders to an already-strong grid added more depth. With so many World Champions on the grid, coming from WorldSBK, WorldSSP and Moto2™, as well as European and domestic titles to the majority of the grid, Checa was asked whether the 2023 grid could be considered the strongest in WorldSBK.

Discussing this, the 2011 Champion said: “I think WorldSBK always had a strong grid and the performance of all the riders is quite high. We can see the evidence. We see first, second, third and it seems like the others are not good enough but Petrucci won in MotoGP™, Remy did really good in Moto2™ but it’s not a Championship where you arrive and because you were in front in a different championship or MotoGP™, you can automatically be in front. There’s a lot of work, it depends on the bike and the team. You can adapt better or not. It seems like Bautista adapted perfectly and other riders, like Petrucci and probably Remy, are struggling as well. I think these riders have the capacity and ability and the performance to potentially be in front. Sooner or later, if they have an opportunity, we can see them at the front.”

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Usually, breaks are used for testing, some would say a bit of relaxing, perhaps some marketing. Occasionally, there’s a rider announcement about a renewal, but very few times do we see a major bit of ‘silly season’ news that has come to fruition. Well, if you’ve been under a rock during recent hours, 2021 WorldSBK Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) is leaving Yamaha and heading to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for 2024. As expected, there’s been a myriad of questions about the move, the reason and what’s next for the existing BMW and Yamaha riders. We’ve seen your questions and now, try our best to answer them.

Why has Toprak Razgatlioglu moved to BMW?

It’s a fair question; the BMW hasn’t won a race in the dry and it has struggled to challenge regularly for podiums, unlike the Yamaha which is a proven Championship winning package and one of the easier bikes for rookies and graduates to ride. However, it’s clear that Razgatlioglu has a top speed deficit in comparison to Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), and the Bautista-Ducati package make a Championship challenge trickier to mount than in 2021’s title-winning season.  The BMW isn’t short on top speed, and perhaps Razgatlioglu’s search of a “new target, a new challenge” means to develop the bike into a winner, getting it to turn better in the middle of the corner and getting the power down on corner exit. There may also be a new project underway for BMW in WorldSBK; the manufacturer brought major updates in 2023, it may have more lined up.

Who will be Toprak’s teammate in 2024?

It’s probably the biggest question right now in the paddock. Marc Bongers gave limited information when asked about the 2024 line-up in Barcelona, and with Michael van der Mark out injured for a third stint in just a year and a half, the Dutchman could be feeling the heat. However, after Razgatlioglu’s announcement to BMW was made, the #60 shared “welcome Abi” to his Instagram story, suggesting that he may well be staying with BMW.

As for Scott Redding, the British rider is behind Independent rider Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) and in races where both Redding and van der Mark have finished, it’s 3-2 in Mikey’s favour, even if the #45 scored more points. He’s questioned his BMW future, saying he’ll “consider options” and it’s “hard to wait.” Redding and Razgatlioglu have got previous fallout, clashing on numerous occasions – notably at Most in Race 1 both in 2021 and 2022. Until an official statement is made, we can only go on what we know: both current riders aren’t signed for 2024. We could in theory see a whole new line-up. Gerloff, like van der Mark, “welcomed” Toprak to BMW and stated he “thinks he’ll like” the bike, even if the #31 will be in the Independent team. Redding hasn’t commented.

If not Redding, what happens next for the #45?

30-year-old Scott Redding came to WorldSBK and was instantly a Championship contender, winning races and finishing as runner-up in his rookie season. Third in his second year before moving to BMW, race wins seem a long time ago as Redding has undoubtedly struggle with the switch to inline four machinery, away from the Panigale V4 R which he came to WorldSBK aboard. Redding has questioned his own future as we’ve stated above, but what would those “options” be?

A return to Ducati? Perhaps, emulating Bautista, who likewise had two years away on inline four machinery at Honda and upon returning, was a better rider for it. Redding’s also been vocal about the Ducati’s top speed advantage so if you can’t beat them, maybe (re)join them? Unlikely, as Ducati have plenty of riders already waiting, such as current rider Rinaldi, his arch-rival Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and WorldSSP Championship leader, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). What about Yamaha or Honda? A straight swap with Toprak is always possible and Yamaha will want an established race winner, but does Redding fit with Yamaha’s ethos of developing young talent? As for Honda, they’re the one team that have been quiet, whilst Alex Lowes’ (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) contract expires at the end of 2023.

Will Phil Marron move with Razgatlioglu to BMW?

Phil Marron has been Razgatlioglu’s crew chief since 2019, when Toprak was at Puccetti Kawasaki. Marron moved to Yamaha with Toprak, as Les Pearson – previous crew chief to van der Mark within the team – moved over to the GRT outfit with Garrett Gerloff, and Andrew Pitt moved to van der Mark’s side. Marron came from working with Shaun Muir Racing in 2018, when he was crew chief to Eugene Laverty. It makes sense that Razgatlioglu brings Marron to BMW, with their close-knit relationship; after all, a rider’s crew chief is a vital personal link as much as technical and it’s about having understanding. Bautista and Giulio Nava are the same, as are Rea and Pere Riba. The current crew chiefs at BMW are Ian Lord for Redding and Marcus Eschenbacher for van der Mark.

What happens to Yamaha and who will replace Razgatlioglu?

It’s an obvious question with not an obvious answer. A day after it was publicised that Toprak will leave for 2024, Andrea Locatelli was announced as staying with the team until 2025, making him the longest-serving factory Yamaha rider in WorldSBK at five straight years. The only others currently with a 2024 deal are Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Alvaro Bautista and Garrett Gerloff. Team HRC’s Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Alex Lowes and both 2023 factory BMWs Scott Redding and Michael van der Mark are all available. Lowes and van der Mark have been at Yamaha before as teammates, whilst the others haven’t.

Could Yamaha promote an Independent rider?

With Yamaha’s racing ethos, progression is key. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was promoted from WorldSSP after two dominant titles and has been a strong in 2023, with two front rows and amazing late race pace seeing him with a best of P4. Teammate Remy Gardner is improving all the time too, whilst for Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) and Brad Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team), it’s unlikely they move into the factory team. Of current Independent Yamaha riders, the best-placed in the Championship is Aegerter, 27 points clear of teammate Gardner, one ahead of Rinaldi and 18 from P5’s Axel Bassani.

What is BMW’s strategy to success and why hire Razgatlioglu?

A final thought on BMW’s unequivocal desire to win and challenge for titles from Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “Toprak is undoubtedly one of the best riders in the field at the moment, which he proved by winning the 2021 World Championship. He’s not just a fast motorcycle racer, he’s also a great personality off the track. We’re convinced that Toprak will settle into the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family very quickly.” Dr Markus Schramm, head of BMW Motorrad, added: “I’m very proud that Toprak has opted to join BMW Motorrad. This is a forward-looking step for our project and a strong commitment of BMW Motorrad Motorsport in WorldSBK.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

With the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship up and running and warming up for the remainder of the season, a flurry of transfer market action has happened. Just a day after it was announced that his current teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) was departing for BMW in 2024, Andrea Locatelli has confirmed that he will remain in blue for the forthcoming two seasons.

STUNNING ARRIVAL: fast from the off in the WorldSBK paddock

Locatelli made the switch to the WorldSBK paddock in 2020 when he dominated in World Supersport, storming to the Championship title with two rounds to spare. He then graduated to the factory Yamaha outfit alongside Toprak Razgatlioglu, taking a podium in his maiden season at Assen. He went on to finish fourth overall, with three more podiums coming throughout the season. For 2022, Locatelli was back aboard the R1 and the Italian found his feet once more, and despite starting strongly, a mid-season dip in form meant he finished fifth by the end of the season, although he did pick up his career-best finish of second at Assen and was strong towards the end of the season with a podium at Mandalika.

BIG STEP MADE: 2023 has already been a year to remember for the #55

Coming into the current 2023 season, Locatelli is one of the riders who has made a clear step in performance, as has the Yamaha package. The only rider to score points in every race and with at least one podium from the opening four rounds – with five in total after 12 races – Locatelli sits pretty in third overall, behind teammate Razgatlioglu and reigning World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Until Race 2 in Barcelona, ‘Loka’ had been inside the top five in every race, with stunning consistency. He’s currently 33 points ahead of WorldSBK’s most successful rider of all-time, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).

IN HIS OWN WORDS: “We’ve laid the groundwork for a bright future”

Speaking about the renewal, Locatelli was elated to confirm his future with the brand that gave him the opportunity to graduate, whilst speaking highly of the entire team in fuelling belief into the 26-year-old: “My objective was to continue with Yamaha, so I’m very happy to have signed for another two years. One of the best things about Yamaha is the people who believe in me, starting with Eric de Seynes, Paolo Pavesio and Andrea Dosoli, but also Riccardo Tisci and all the engineers and technicians who work so hard to give me the best bike possible. The same is true of the team. Since I arrived in WorldSBK I have enjoyed incredible support from Paul Denning and Andrew Pitt, and everyone involved in the project.

“All together we have achieved some good results but, more importantly, we have walked side-by-side on a path that has allowed me to feel more and more confident,” continued a philosophical Locatelli. We still have room for improvement in many areas, but I truly believe that with such a good relationship we will grow stronger together. If consistency is key as they say, then I think that with this extension, we’ve laid the groundwork for a bright future.”

DETERMINATION AND INTELLIGENCE: Dosoli hails ‘matured’ Locatelli

Yamaha Motor Europe’s Road Racing Manager Andrea Dosoli was also jubilant in confirming Locatelli: “It gives me great pleasure to announce that we will continue for two more years with Andrea Locatelli, in line with Yamaha’s vision of nurturing talent and forging a long-term relationship with our riders. Our journey with Andrea started in 2020 when he dominated WorldSSP aboard our R6, but his performance in 2021 when we moved him up to WorldSBK was equally impressive, finishing the season fourth and as rookie of the year.

“We have seen Andrea mature as a rider, continually progressing to the point where he is now one of the strongest in the Championship. He has shown himself to be capable of making informed technical decisions during testing, whilst his determination in the short races is matched by his intelligent management of the longer feature races. These are all good signs, and this is what convinced us that, together, we can make further steps and secure even better results in the future. On behalf of Yamaha, but also from me personally, I would like to thank Andrea for the trust he has shown in us.”

WHAT NEXT FOR YAMAHA: one rider penned, one rider leaving

Summing up the transfer market so far, Locatelli becomes the fourth factory rider confirmed on the grid for 2024 and the first for Yamaha. Whilst teammate Toprak departs for BMW at the end of the year, Locatelli’s two-year deal, taking him to 2025, means he will be the longest-serving factory Yamaha rider in consecutive seasons, with Noriyuki Haga (2005 – 2008), Alex Lowes (2016 – 2019), Michael van der Mark (2017 – 2020) and current rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (2020 – 2023) holding the record of four seasons, whereas ‘Loka’ is set for five. Jonathan Rea, Alvaro Bautista, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) are the only other riders confirmed on the grid in 2024, but Locatelli is the first signed for 2025. The big question now is who will be his teammate?

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While the majority of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field visited the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for a two-day test recently, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) did not as he received a call-up to ride for Ducati in MotoGP™. To make up for this, the WorldSBK rookie heads to Mugello this week for a two-day test on the Panigale V4 R ahead of the Emilia-Romagna Round in early June.

Petrucci was called up to replace Enea Bastianini at the factory Ducati team at Le Mans which took place from the 12^th-14^th May and clashed with the Misano test. This was on the 11^th and 12^th May prior to Le Mans, meaning Petrucci did not run in the test and nor did the Barni Ducati team as they opted not to bring in a replacement rider while Petrucci was unavailable for the test.

To make up for some of the lost track time, Petrucci will be back on his V4 R machine in Italy but at the Mugello circuit on Tuesday, 23^rd and Wednesday, 24^th May as he re-adjusts back to his WorldSBK machine following his brief return to MotoGP™ where he claimed 11^th place in the Grand Prix at Le Mans. With regulations prohibiting testing at the same location as a WorldSBK round in the 11 days building up to the round, Petrucci was unable to test at Misano like his rivals but will still get two days of action in Italy. Mugello holds special memories for ‘Petrux’, with it being the scene of an emotional first victory in MotoGP™, back in 2019, beating teammate Andrea Dovizioso and reigning Champion Marc Marquez in a phenomenal final lap thriller at the Italian Grand Prix.

Looking ahead to the test, Petrucci said: “I’m very happy to come back to my WorldSBK bike for two days of testing. It’s really, really important because I was not able to be at Misano and I was not able to try the track where we have the next round. We can have a lot of tests; we can try a lot of new things and I hope we can solve our problem with traction. Can’t wait to ride again at a beautiful track like Mugello.”

Petrucci will not be the only rider on track at Mugello with Nicolo Bulega joining him with Ducati Corse on the Panigale V4 R machine. The current WorldSSP Championship leader has had a test on the V4 R at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto and will now be back on the bike on home soil at Mugello for two days of testing. The second factory Ducati seat is currently available for 2024, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) not yet putting pen to paper. There’re also all three Independent Ducati teams that have their existing riders not signed for 2024. This is clearly a test for the future, but where will Bulega fit in Ducati’s World Superbike puzzle.

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With the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship preparing for Round 5 of the 2023 season at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, which will host the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, it’s a great time to look at some classic races from years gone by. This time, it’s time to go back to 2004 and watch Race 2 from Misano when Pierfrancesco Chilli and Regis Laconi, both racing on Ducati machinery, battled it out for victory on the Adriatic coast. Little could separate the pair at the end of the 25 laps in a wet-race thriller. Watch the full race by clicking the video at the top of this article!

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Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) will leave Yamaha at the end of 2023, joining the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for 2024. The Turkish star, the 2021 World Champion for Yamaha, had been linked to the German brand when Kenan Sofuoglu spoke to the media and said that an offer had been made during the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round. With time away, the final member of the “titanic trio” will confirm he stays in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and doesn’t jump to MotoGP™, but as far as it goes for the paddock, this is up there with one of the biggest rider market switches, EVER. We look back at the big ones from before.

THE OBVIOUS: Fogarty’s switch from Ducati to Honda and then back to Ducati

The first major change to come in WorldSBK was when Carl Fogarty moved from taking two titles with Ducati in 1994 and 1995 in search of a new challenge, joining the Castrol Honda team in 1996. It would be a bad move, with the defending Champion only taking four wins, albeit a thriller at Hockenheim arguably going down as one of WorldSBK’s greatest races. Struggling to fourth in the Championship and never really challenging, Fogarty headed back to Ducati in 1997 but it took him a year to get back up to speed, before snatching the 1998 title in a final round showdown. He was back to his best in 1999, but he said himself that it took a long time to get back to his 1995 level.

Speaking about breaking up a winning formula, ‘Foggy’ wasn’t in favour of it when Jonathan Rea was on the market in 2022 and stated that he would advise against making the mistake he made in the 90s: “I should never have broken up a winning package. I had the best bike ever in 1995 and I went and broke all that up for a couple of hundred thousand pounds more; I was just stupid really. It cost me the title in 1996 and 1997; it took me two years to get the title back. It’s something I regret to be honest, but Ducati took me back.”

CORSER’S BIG JUMP: Ducati to Aprilia in 2000

Troy Corser was one of the stand-out riders on his way to third in the 1999 season and he fought hard against teammate Carl Fogarty and Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards. Three wins and 12 podiums meant a strong season for the 1996 World Champion. Meanwhile, 12^th in the overall standings was Peter Goddard on a seemingly uncompetitive and brand-new Aprilia, with just one top five all season. Surely, Corser’s future didn’t lie with the Noale factory? Well, Virginio Ferarri’s team tempted Corser in for 2000 and 2001 and it was a successful partnership, with a podium in just their second race together and home victory in just their fourth at Phillip Island. Five wins across the course of the 2000 season and plenty of podiums saw Corser as a Championship contender, but top four consistency just kept him in third at the end. In 2001, two wins at the start of the season came but it would be fourth overall, nonetheless a shock switch which gave big rewards.

REA GOES GREEN: a match made in Kawasaki heaven

There was little doubt about just how good Jonathan Rea as a rider has been, but on a dated Honda and with injuries interfering, plus a lack of factory support, it was always a story of what could be. Well, when Rea switched to Kawasaki in 2015, it was clear that we were entering into his era in WorldSBK, although perhaps nobody knew quite how dominant he would become. Soon enough, 103 wins, 207 podiums and 48 pole positions later, Rea signed his name in history as the greatest rider of all-time in terms of numbers. The Kawasaki package was on the ascendance before Rea joined, but it was perfected once he was there. A tricky couple of years have seen Rea relinquish the title as the base model ZX-10RR ages, but the Provec-run operation remains well respected.

BAUTISTA BACK IN BOLOGNA RED: unfinished business…

After winning the opening 11 races of 2019 and dominating in his rookie season, it’s nothing short of baffling that Alvaro Bautista didn’t take the crown – to this day, nobody really knows what went wrong. Speaking in The Return documentary, Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse Sporting Director, said, “I wish I knew the answer and I still don’t know” whereas Bautista himself said “Sincerely, I have no idea what happened in 2019.” However, two years away to perfect his skills as a development rider for Honda’s new factory Team HRC outfit resulted in comparatively little success, with no wins but a handful of podiums. In 2021, it was announced that after the sour end to their relationship in 2019, Bautista would be back in Ducati red and #TheReturn was born. Not as dominant, but stratospherically more consistent, a new tool helped Bautista take the 2022 title with a round to spare. 2023’s going the same way, with 2019 domination now being partnered up with his comeback year consistency.

RAZGATLIOGLU LEAPS TO YAMAHA: Toprak made the headlines in another switch

Toprak Razgatlioglu himself isn’t afraid of making the big switches either; the Turkish rider moved out of the Kawasaki family as he didn’t want to play second fiddle to dominant force Jonathan Rea, and when Yamaha made their offer, Razgatlioglu was moved into the Yamaha family. The bike that hadn’t challenged for a Championship and had just a handful of victories and perhaps didn’t suit Razgatlioglu’s aggressive braking style… the Turk proved them wrong with an emphatic victory on his debut. The rest is history, with 31 wins, 78 podiums and a title being bagged. But now we know Razgatlioglu won’t be at Yamaha in the future and that he’ll be at BMW, that instantly makes it one of the biggest we’ve ever seen.

MELANDRI’S FROM YAMAHA TO BMW: it worked then…

Marco Melandri’s rookie season in 2011 saw him take four victories, 15 podiums and challenge for the title with Yamaha, albeit just falling short and finishing second in the Championship. After Yamaha elected to suspend their factory involvement in WorldSBK in 2012, Melandri was on the market and in October 2011, Melandri joined the factory BMW squad, at the time without a victory but improving with podiums. Melandri turned their fortunes around with a podium in his first race and whilst the next six yielded nothing special, he was a winner at Donington Park, heading home teammate Leon Haslam in the first-ever BMW 1-2. Six podiums and four wins in the next nine races saw Melandri as the rider to beat, but a tough end to the year meant he took third overall. He was fourth in 2013 with three wins and remains the manufacturer’s most successful rider.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

A key piece of the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rider line-up has fallen into place with Toprak Razgatlioglu joining up with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team from 2024 on the M1000RR machine. BMW will become the third manufacturer Razgatlioglu has raced with in WorldSBK, following on from Kawasaki and Yamaha, when he links up with the team from the 2024 season onwards.

FROM YAMAHA TO BMW: Razgatlioglu follows in van der Mark’s footsteps

The 2021 Champion will have spent four seasons with Yamaha by the time his contract ends at the end of this season and so far he has won 33 races and taken a total of 93 podiums in WorldSBK career, 31 and 78 of which respectively were with Yamaha while the remainder came when he was with Puccetti Kawasaki in 2018 and 2019. Razgatlioglu’s teammate is currently unknown at this stage for 2024 but he follows in the footsteps of his former teammate, Michael van der Mark, who made the switch for the 2021 campaign and is BMW’s last race winner, having won the Tissot Superpole Race in mixed conditions at Portimao in 2021.

Razgatlioglu joined Yamaha for the 2020 season and got off to a winning start with victory at Phillip Island in Race 1 in 2020, before following that up with two wins to end the season at Estoril. In 2021, he was engaged in a thrilling battle with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) as he claimed his first world title while Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) joined the fight in 2022 as he took Razgatlioglu’s crown despite the Turkish star winning more races in 2022 than his title-winning campaign. Now, after four seasons with Yamaha, Razgatlioglu will embark on a new challenge with BMW.

Van der Mark made the switch from Yamaha to BMW for the 2021 campaign but he was not the first to do so. Marco Melandri made an instant impact in his rookie campaign with Yamaha but switched to BMW for the 2012 campaign and his switch proved to be a success as he led home BMW’s first ever 1-2 finish. Melandri’s stint with BMW means he remains the German manufacturer’s most successful rider, something Razgatlioglu will look to emulate and beat following his switch to BMW.

BMW SAYS: “A forward-looking step for our project… Toprak is undoubtedly one of the best riders”

Razgatlioglu will line up on the M1000RR for the 2024 campaigns after four seasons with Yamaha as he joins up with BMW on the M1000RR to become the third manufacturer he has raced with in WorldSBK. Discussing his arrival to the team, Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director, said: “Toprak is undoubtedly one of the best riders in the field at the moment, which he not only proved by winning the 2021 World Championship title. But he’s not just a fast motorcycle racer, he’s also a great personality off the track. We are convinced that Toprak will settle into the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family very quickly. We are looking forward to our collaboration and to our future together.”

Dr. Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad, added: “Welcome to the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family, Toprak Razgatlioglu. We are delighted to welcome him to our WorldSBK factory squad from next season on. I am very proud that Toprak has opted to join BMW Motorrad. This is a forward-looking step for our project and a strong commitment of BMW Motorrad Motorsport in World Superbike.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

There are several riders whose contracts expire at the end of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and one of these is Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK). After four seasons with the Japanese manufacturer, Razgatlioglu will leave Yamaha at the end of the 2023 campaign for a new challenge although his destination is yet to be confirmed. Razgatlioglu claimed the 2021 title to become Yamaha’s first World Champion in WorldSBK since 2009 when Ben Spies claimed the title.

A SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP: the story from 2020 to the present day

Razgatlioglu moved to Yamaha for the 2020 campaign and made an instant impact on the Yamaha YZF-R1 machine with victory in Race 1 at Phillip Island, his first race at Yamaha. He finished his 2020 campaign with two more wins at the Circuito Estoril to end his campaign on a high and this spurred him onto a title-winning 2021 campaign. 13 wins and 29 podiums in total came from 37 races in 2021 as he beat Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in a thrilling-season long fight to end the Ulsterman’s streak of titles.

His form continued into the 2022 campaign and he ended the year with more victories, 14, than he did in his title-winning season but ultimately finished in second place behind Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). In 2022, he made history by becoming the rider with the most wins for Yamaha by passing the total held by Noriyuki Haga who secured 27 wins for Yamaha during his WorldSBK career. Razgatlioglu has 11 podiums from 12 races so far in the 2023 campaign, including one win at Mandalika in the Tissot Superpole Race.

In total, Razgatlioglu has 31 wins with Yamaha and 47 further podium finishes with the R1 machine to date while he has also had two MotoGP™ tests with Yamaha. He will leave the factory as their second World Champion in WorldSBK from when he helped Yamaha win the Riders’, Teams’ and Manufacturers’ Championships in 2021, becoming the first rider since Ben Spies in 2009 to win the WorldSBK title on a Yamaha, bringing to an end a successful four-year partnership between Razgatlioglu and Yamaha.

Prior to his time with Yamaha, Razgatlioglu spent two seasons with Kawasaki machinery at the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team. He claimed 15 podiums across two campaigns with the ZX-10RR machine with his first in his rookie season coming at Donington Park. His first wins came a year later at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours when he won from 16th on the grid in both Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race.

RAZGATLIOGLU SAYS: “If I am to stay in WorldSBK then I need a new target, a new ambition”

26-year-old Razgatlioglu, who is also a STK600 title winner and STK1000 runner-up, will leave Yamaha at the end of the current campaign as he seeks a new challenge after four seasons with the Yamaha YZF-R1 machine. Both Yamaha and Razgatlioglu will still aim to fight for the title in the 2023 season although they find themselves trailing Bautista by 69 points in the Riders’ Championship standings.

Discussing the announcement, Razgatlioglu said: “I want to say to the whole Yamaha family a very big thank you for the love and respect they have shown me. To win the World Championship was my dream when I signed with Yamaha, and we reached that goal together. For next season I feel I need a new challenge and while there was an opportunity in MotoGP™, I didn’t feel the same connection with the MotoGP™ bike that I have with the superbike. But if I am to stay in WorldSBK then I need a new target, a new ambition. I am sorry to leave Yamaha, both the brand and the people, as we have a very good relationship, but change is part of any sport and normal for any professional. So, a big thank you to Yamaha Motor Company, Yamaha Motor Europe, Yamaha Motor Turkiye, the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK team and especially to my crew, who have all worked so hard for me.”

DOSOLI SAYS: “We made what we felt was an offer that properly reflected Toprak’s value as a rider”

Razgatlioglu’s future had been up for debate with his contract expiring at the end of the 2023 season, after he signed a two-year deal to cover the 2022 and 2023 seasons previously. With his future now lying away from Yamaha, Andrea Dosoli, Road Racing Manager at Yamaha Motor Europe, said: “We will be sorry to see Toprak leave Yamaha at the end of this season. We wanted to continue what has been an incredibly successful partnership, with the obvious highlight being the triple crown of rider, manufacturer, and team world titles that we won together in 2021. We made what we felt was an offer that properly reflected Toprak’s value as a rider and an ambassador for Yamaha, as well as the competitiveness of our racing package and our racing strategy within the WorldSBK platform.

“However, as the negotiations progressed it became apparent to both parties that Toprak is motivated to embrace a new challenge in 2024 and we respect his decision. Although our paths will diverge at the end of the year, we are now fully focused on the battle for the 2023 WorldSBK title, which resumes shortly at Misano. Finally, I would like to thank Toprak on behalf of Yamaha but also personally, for his invaluable contribution to our WorldSBK project. His first World Championship title in 2021 was a just reward for him but also for all the people who, since we returned to WorldSBK in 2016, have worked so hard to make this project a success. It is a memory that everyone at Yamaha will cherish. We wish Toprak every success for the future but, for now, we have a job to finish.”

Can Razgatlioglu end his final year with Yamaha on a high? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field heads to the Adriatic coast and the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for Round 4 of the 2023 campaign at the start of June, and now is the perfect opportunity to take a trip down memory lane. The first visit is way back to 2001 as Troy Bayliss and Ben Bostrom battled it out for victory on their Ducati 996 R machines to take a home win for Ducati. The pair were separated by just 0.482s at the end of the 25-lap fight. Watch the full race for free by clicking the video at the top of this article!

Watch more classic WorldSBK action throughout 2023 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com