It’s not Marc Marquez on the Ducati, but it seems like it’s almost close: Toprak Razgatlioglu’s debut on the BMW was one of the most awaited events by Superbike fans and, apparently, he didn’t disappoint expectations. The first approach through the curves of Portimao was positive despite the rain and now another two days await him in Jerez de la Frontera, where both the driver and the team hope for more clement weather.
The Turk’s initial impressions were good and the team also seemed quite satisfied. Shaun Muir, BMW Team Principal, acted as spokesperson for the entire team, offering his perspective after Razgatlioglu’s first 30 laps on the M1000RR: “It was a bit of a surprise, we didn’t expect to be on track already Sunday. We had planned for Monday, but we had the opportunity to hit the track and we took advantage of it. We did a few rounds of setup and three or four 20-minute sessions. We did exactly what we wanted: get him on the bike and make him feel at home. We were looking for nothing more than initial feedback. He will definitely have a lot of things to change, because it is a completely new bike for him. All in all, it was worth the anticipation.”
When Toprak announced his farewell to Yamaha to move to BMW, he surprised many. Therefore, there was a lot of anticipation to see the vice-world champion test himself with a bike that has never been truly competitive in 2023. Muir also revealed what the team’s feelings were for this test: “There was tension for everyone. We have been waiting for this moment for quite a few months. We would have hoped to be on the track sooner, but we are here in December and the conditions are not the best. Of course, everyone is excited. It’s a great thing for the team. On Sunday morning there was a little more pressure, because we expected to do more promos, videos and photographs, but that wasn’t the case. It’s been a crazy four hours since we decided to do it. We had to move quickly, bring everything up to temperature, getting the guys ready to go and it was quite hectic! The speed of the intervention took away our nervousness and we got to work. It was nice to see him get on the bike and see the number 54 on the BMW.”
Photo by: BMW
Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
Once the first test in Portimao has been put to rest, it’s time to move towards Jerez, where we will already start to see some updates on the BMW: “The two days in Jerez will probably become a day and a half, but we have an engine update. We have also other parts that are here and that we will examine over the days. The test team has done a great job and this is creating great advantages. I want to compliment them because they have done a lot. We are hitting the track with parts ready for use and this it’s a great advantage for us.”
“From an ergonomic point of view, the bike is ready for Toprak,” explains Muir, going into detail about the innovations that BMW brings for both Razgatlioglu and his teammate Michael van der Mark. “As for Mickey, we’re building on what he did in the second half of last year. We can’t forget that he had two major injuries that almost wiped out his season. For Michael this is a bit like the first day of the 2024 season. Both have the same material to test. We will get feedback from both of you. It’s a bit of a step up from when Bonovo tested straight after Jerez, so we already have the information to work with. In terms of workload, the guys will be busy. We’d like to think we can do 60-80 laps a day, if the weather cooperates. Over the next few days, there’s no reason why we can’t tick an important box and get the guys working for the January tests.”
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