Engine failure ends Toprak Razgatlioglu’s Sunday race at the Superbike World Championship in Australia – the BMW newcomer fights for a top 3 result in the sprint
The second day of racing at the Superbike World Championship season opener on Phillip Island (Australia) had both positive and negative experiences in store for Toprak Razgatlioglu. In the Superpole race (race report), the Turk secured his first podium as a BMW rider. Expectations for the second main race were correspondingly high. However, an engine failure ended Sunday’s race (race report) prematurely
“I’m very disappointed,” said Razgatlioglu after the retirement in the second main race. “Before the retirement, I had the feeling that I was really harmonizing with the bike for the first time. Then I got the problem with the engine.”
Razgatlioglu leaves Australia in eighth place. He is already 32 points behind championship leader Alex Lowes (Kawasaki) (see overall standings). “All in all, I’m not really satisfied, even though I managed a podium,” said the BMW newcomer.
TOPRAK IS OUT OF RACE 2! @toprak_tr54 suffers huge tech drama in the early stages of the last race of the weekend
FREE |AustralianWorldSBK https://t.co/vRgGcfMoQO
– WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) February 25, 2024
“I was ready to fight for victory in the second main race. We were able to improve the bike and that’s why I had different expectations,” explained the runner-up after Sunday’s retirement
Can BMW take the next step at the European opener?
At the weekend in Australia, BMW was able to collect a lot of data that will help to further improve the M1000RR. “We learned a lot during the races. With the help of the data we collected, we can continue to work on the bike,” says Razgatlioglu.
“On the other hand, this circuit is very different to the tracks in Europe. That’s why I can’t say for sure that we’ve learned anything,” muses Razgatlioglu.
The 2024 WSBK season will continue in Barcelona at the end of March. There will be a test on the Grand Prix circuit in Catalonia in mid-March. “Barcelona is a demanding circuit, just like the track here. We are normally stronger on the tracks in Europe,” notes Razgatlioglu.
“But our start here wasn’t bad either. Things went well, especially in the Superpole race. We are improving step by step,” says the BMW newcomer with conviction. Razgatlioglu has a clear goal for the test in Barcelona.
“I’m concentrating fully on race pace, because that’s very important in Barcelona,” the Turk clarifies. “The rear tire is put under a lot of stress on this track. We need a good set-up for the main races. “
