Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) has 51 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship victories in his career and has won the last 10 races in a row. ‘El Turco’ is arguably in the form of his life right now so we’ve had a look back through his career to discuss some of the best wins of his career, ranging from hard-fought battles, fighting bike issues and wiping the floor with his rivals.
10 LAPS, FROM 16TH TO 1ST: Magny-Cours Superpole Race, 2019
Having taken his first WorldSBK win the day before from 16th in Race 1 with a very impressive performance, Razgatlioglu – then at Kawasaki Puccetti Racing – repeated that on Sunday in the 10-lap Tissot Superpole Race. An incredible first lap meant the #54 was up to P8 by the end of Lap 1 and by the end of Lap 6, he was in second, behind only Jonathan Rea. He got ahead of the #65 on Lap 7 to move into first place and claim a second win in as many days from a lowly 16th on the grid.
AYRTON SENNA-LIKE START: Donington Park Race 1, 2021
Wet weather impacted the Tissot Superpole session, and this left Razgatlioglu languishing down in 13th on the grid. A stunning start, reminiscent of F1 legend Ayrton Senna in 1993, meant he went from the fifth row to second on the opening lap, carving his way through the field, before setting his sights on Rea ahead. On Lap 2 at the right-hander of Coppice, the 2021 Champion made his way past his rival and would go on to lead every lap after he moved into P1.
HIS BIGGEST WINNING MARGIN: Donington Park Race 1, 2024
Donington Park is Razgatlioglu’s self-described favourite track, and you can see why with his record: nine wins and 14 podiums. It showed this year when he won by 11.384s ahead of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in Race 1, the first dry weather winning margin of over 10 seconds since Aragon 2019. Aside from FP3, when Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) topped the session, ‘El Turco’ was unbeatable during this year’s UK Round.
A TYRE STRATEGY MASTERCLASS: Barcelona Race 1, 2024
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is always tough on tyres and this year was no different. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had around a four second margin in hand over Razgatlioglu entering the final few laps, but the BMW rider had managed his race to perfection to bring the gap down. On the final lap, Razgatlioglu passes the WorldSBK rookie to claim his first win with BMW.
EMULATING VALENTINO ROSSI: Barcelona Superpole Race, 2024
While Race 1 was about managing the tyres, the Tissot Superpole Race was an all-out attack. Three riders were in contention for victory with Razgatlioglu, Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) the lead trio. Bautista was leading through the final corner, but the Turkish star made an audacious move at the final corner, similar to Valentino Rossi on Jorge Lorenzo, to make it two wins at this year’s Catalunya Round.
PENULTIMATE CORNER OVERTAKE: Most Race 1, 2021
The Autodrom Most made its WorldSBK debut in 2021 and it delivered immediately, with a last-lap battle between Scott Redding and Razgatlioglu. The #45 was ahead going into the final sector, with just two corners remaining, but Razgatlioglu was on the hunt for victory. On the approach to Turn 20, the Turkish star, then riding a Yamaha, darted to the inside and got ahead of Redding’s Ducati before holding on for the win after a drag race to the line.
FIRST YAMAHA VICTORY: Phillip Island Race 1, 2020
Razgatlioglu’s heroics on the Independent Kawasaki machine he had since 2018 had helped earn him a factory seat at Yamaha for 2020, and they didn’t have to wait long to taste success. In a typical Phillip Island thriller to start the season, Yamaha’s new recruit mastered his strategy to lead home a four-way battle that included himself, Alex Lowes, Redding and Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who was the #54’s teammate in 2020.
PORTIMAO SHOWDOWN VS BAUTISTA: Portimao Superpole Race, 2022
Razgatlioglu went into 2022 as the reigning Champion and the Portuguese Round turned into outgoing vs incoming Champion. Razgatlioglu went head-to-head with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) at the rollercoaster venue in 2022, with only a tenth separating the pair across the line. It followed on from their epic Race 1 scrap the day before, with Razgatlioglu coming out on top by a comparatively large six tenths.
AGAINST BAUTISTA WITH NO ELECTRONICS: Imola Superpole Race, 2023
The return of Imola to WorldSBK’s calendar gave us an epic showdown between Razgatlioglu and Bautista once again, with the then Yamaha rider up against Bautista, the passionate Ducatisti from the stands and an electronics issue on his bike. Despite lacking traction control, the 51-time race winner was able to hold off Bautista to claim a hard-fought victory.
CLOSING IN ON HISTORY: Most Race 2, 2024
Razgatlioglu’s move to BMW caused shockwaves but, halfway through his first season on the M 1000 RR, it looks to be paying off. Race 2 at Most, a race he led all but four laps of, was his 12th win of the season and his tenth consecutive. It’s the second-longest streak in WorldSBK history and he has the chance to equal Rea and Bautista’s record of 11 next time out, and even break it.
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Source: WorldSBK.com