Where does it leave Turkey’s Toprak Razgatlioglu and his ambitions to race MotoGP after his recent brand switch?
It’s probably fair to say the 2021 Superbike World Champion didn’t have a lot of options when he was announced as a BMW factory rider in the WSBK series for 2024.
That announcement came just weeks after he had tested a Yamaha MotoGP bike, adding fuel to the rumours that he could be in line for a Grand Prix deal with the one of the Japanese bike brands.
It was a test attended by Yamaha senior management, although, during the Americas Grand Prix weekend in April, Yamaha MotoGP head honcho Lin Jarvis had suggested Razgatlioglu’s signing would be unlikely.
“The biggest problem I would say, for us anyway, is whether we have a spot, because ideally … we’ve only got two bikes on the grid, I think it’s difficult for us to get a satellite team on the grid next year,” Jarvis said.
“So, we will have two spots only and both of those two spots we will need somebody who is going to be fast straight away, and perhaps Toprak will need more time to get up to speed.”
It’s unlikely at that stage in early April that Jarvis’ comments were linked to Razgatlioglu’s recently-announced switch to BMW because apparently no offer had been made by BMW at the time of the Barcelona event in early May.
In a Yamaha press release, Razgatlioglu hinted at “a chance” to go to MotoGP – but didn’t feel like the bike suited him as much as a superbike does, and so he has elected to continue in WSBK with BMW.
As Jarvis said, Yamaha probably won’t have a satellite team in 2024 and will need a second rider at its factory squad.
That’s a seat currently occupied by Franco Morbidelli, who has struggled since stepping up to the factory squad towards the end of 2021. If it won’t be him, Pramac’s Jorge Martin has been linked.
The 26-year-old Razgatlioglu has been competing in WSBK since 2018.
Even on his debut season he celebrated podium finishes.
In the 168 WSBK races the Turkish rider has contested in his successful career so far, he has notched up 33 wins and a total of 93 podiums.
In the 2021 season he celebrated his greatest success to date when he was crowned Superbike World Champion.
Photo courtesy WSBK
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