Progress is made for the BMW Turk, but there is no shortage of problems
Fourth time overall, eight tenths behind the record holder Nicolò Bulega and the satisfaction of having lapped in 1'38”. Toprak Razgatlioglu concluded the two days of testing in Jerez with the BMW 1000 M RR and in his assessment he underlined that it is still early to draw conclusions and that although there are positive aspects there is still work to be done to achieve a good balance.
“We have improved corner entry, the engine braking works really well – the words of the 2021 world champion to the microphones of the official Superbike website – and in general the sensations on the race pace are good. We tried numerous new components, some worked really well, others didn't give the desired results. We had a pair of swingarms for example, we will continue the comparative tests in Portimao.”
The aspect to focus on is rear grip: “If we manage to improve rear grip we will be able to fight for the podium in all the races”added Razgatlioglu, who is also struggling with ergonomic issues. “We tried two saddles – has explained – Why I had pain in my 'posterior' which was a bit burnt. I still had incredible pain, let's say it's the first time I'm happy that a test is over.”
There was no lack of a jab at his brand – but not team – mate Scott Redding (former BMW official driver now moved to the Bonovo satellite structure) who 'intruded' on a run in which Michael Van der Mark followed Toprak Razgatlioglu: “I saw that Scott got behind Michael and started fighting with him. I don't understand why, they're just tests, there's no point in fighting at this stage of the season.”. In short, at BMW the rivalry is already heated between the representatives of the German company who will now work in view of the next test in Portimao.
#BMW #saddle #dilemma #Razgatlioglu #Incredible #pain
