The new adventure has begun! Although the test in Portimao was initially scheduled for today, the uncertain weather forced BMW to change plans, thus bringing forward Toprak Razgatlioglu’s debut to Sunday. A small technical problem after two laps didn’t stop the enthusiasm of the Turk, who couldn’t (or didn’t want to) hide his smiles on his first outing with the M1000RR.
A decidedly positive debut, therefore, for the 2021 world champion, who completed just 11 laps. Even though his first approach wasn’t particularly long and he was only on the track for half a day, Toprak feels very satisfied and lets out some pleased smiles. At the end of the day of testing, the Turk offered his first impressions of the BMW, making a small comparison with the Yamaha, the bike he has ridden for the last four seasons.
Photo by: BMW
Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“First of all I say finally!”, begins Razgatlioglu talking about the test with BMW, postponed until recently due to the veto imposed by Yamaha, with which he was under contract until December. “We were waiting for the end of my contract, but finally I have drove the BMW. For me it’s very positive, I like hard braking but the engine brake worked very well. Within the team I feel very good and there are all very good people, I’m happy about this. The first day is completed, I think we only did 11 laps in total, but it was important to have a feeling. The first approach was very good and positive.”
Toprak then goes into a little more detail and tells us what we worked on: “We tried to fine-tune my setup, but today we didn’t start because the bike wasn’t ready. We used half a day starting from midday. We I had a problem and everyone said it was the engine, but in reality it was an oil problem. I lost time for this reason, but the last run was very positive: I did eight laps. I learned to know the bike, because this one and my old one are different. I’m very happy because every lap I improve and learn the style of the bike. I need my style, but in the slow corners I feel better now.”
When Razgatlioglu announced his move to BMW, he was thought to be crazy and many had questions. However, it seems that the first impact with the M1000RR can dispel some doubts: “During the first lap, I was smiling. Especially at the exit of the curve. I know my old bike well after 4 years, but at the exit of the last corner I felt incredible power and it just kept going uphill. This bike gets faster and faster. I had to adapt the braking in the first corner because I was testing it like before, but I stopped a lot. Also, after the problem in Turn 1, there was oil on the left side of the track, so we used the center. It wasn’t easy for me to turn Turn 1. However, every lap I improved, I understood the bike and the traction. The connection with the accelerator is improved. I’m very happy and we have many parts to try.”
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