BMW rider Toprak Razgatlioglu also sets the pace at the Superbike World Championship in Most: On Friday, the WSBK high-flyer surprises with statements about his stoppies
From BMW and Toprak Razgatlioglu’s point of view, the start to the WSBK weekend in Most went absolutely according to plan. Razgatlioglu asserted himself at the front in both practice sessions (see FT2 report). At times, the Turk was more than half a second ahead. Razgatlioglu impressed both on one lap and during his long runs. His braking maneuvers in turn 1 were once again spectacular
The fans are fascinated by the long stops, but Razgatlioglu’s euphoria has faded somewhat in the meantime. The BMW newcomer would like the M1000RR to be less prone to stoppies. He considers it “not normal” that the front of the BMW immediately dives deep under braking and the rear wheel rises into the air.
“Maybe we need a different set-up?” muses the BMW works rider on Friday afternoon in Most. “I always do a stoppie in turn 1. That bores me slowly. The bike tends to stop too quickly. I’ve told my team that.”
“As soon as I touch the brakes, the bike does a stoppie,” the current high-flyer in the Superbike World Championship wonders and expresses a specific wish: “I need a stronger front end so that I can brake even harder. “
Toprak Razgatlioglu the clear favorite after race simulation
With the two best times in practice, Razgatlioglu fully lived up to his role as favorite. While some riders were only fast on fresh tires, Razgatlioglu also impressed with used tires. He completed 18 laps during his long run. However, he did not notice any significant differences between the two SC1 rear tires
Looking ahead to Saturday, the front-runner still sees room for improvement. “It looks like there are some strong riders,” muses Razgatlioglu. “But some were only fast on one lap. In the races, it usually becomes difficult after eight to ten laps because the grip decreases. Then you have to drive differently.”
“My race simulation was very good. I am happy. I was able to understand what changes after twelve laps,” reports the former world champion, who recently made headlines. In addition to his series wins, Razgatlioglu also attracted attention with his celebrations in Donington
Discussions about the seat controversy “bore” the high-flyer
On Saturday he staged a police scene and on Sunday a technical inspection in response to Ducati’s requested review. BMW changed the seat of the M1000RR because Ducati complained that the shape did not comply with WSBK regulations
The many discussions on this topic annoy Razgatlioglu: “There was a lot of talk about it at Donington. It bores me that everyone has shared the police video and seat video. I prefer to concentrate on the races.”
“Ducati talked a lot about my seat. We made a nice video and made a lot of people laugh. I think everyone got the message,” says Razgatlioglu, drawing a line under the topic and adding: “We don’t need to talk about it any more. We’re using a different seat now. “