Toprak Razgatlioglu made his debut as a BMW Motorrad WorldSBK factory rider after running his first laps on Sunday and Monday at Portimao.
Toprak Razgatlioglu gave the new BMW M 1000 RR his seal of approval after successfully completing his first shakedown test with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team in Portimao.
After being let go from his Yamaha contract at the end of November, the 2021 WorldSBK Champion marked the official debut of his recently signed BMW deal by receiving an opportunity to hop on the M 1000 RR that he will race for 2024 WorldSBK.
Razgatlioglu debuted in a new white outfit that displays the colors of the Munich-based manufacturer alongside teammate Michael van der Mark. After competing in Yamaha blue for years, Razgatlioglu’s career has entered a new phase marked by the switch of teams and colors.
Razgatlioglu was in good spirits as he gave his very first BMW M 1000 RR review, having completed 11 laps after spending some time fine-tuning the ergonomics.
“In general, I am really happy because it has been a very positive test. My feeling for the BMW M 1000 RR is very good,” Razgatlioglu said.
“Now I understand the bike and we did also very good lap times regarding the track conditions which were not the best so I did not push towards a fast lap time and we did not use the softer tyre.
“I am enjoying it even if I could not do so many laps. We are learning because this bike is completely different for me but I now start to adapt to it.
The Turk, who even managed to squeeze in one of his signature “stoppies,” is motivated by the bike’s potential.
“Especially on Monday I had a much better feeling for the front than before,” he added. “And the power and the engine brake are unbelievable and the bike is very fast on the straight.
“I am very positive, we just need to do more laps. Thank you to all the guys, they gave me are warm welcome and everybody tries to improve, which we immediately did. We will see, I need more time.
“If we have good track conditions, I think that I can ride a good lap time because especially the front feeling when I enter the corner is now much better.
“The traction is working very well and I have more power. In general, I am very happy and after the first laps I would say that we are not far.
“We are coming!”
Fans and rivals are paying close attention to Razgatlioglu’s move to BMW and his first time aboard the BMW M 1000 RR at Portimao, looking forward to watch how this will influence the running order in the 2024 WorldSBK season.
