Magny-Cours was the round of twists and turns that could shake up the fight for the Superbike world title. On Friday’s free practice, Toprak Razgatlioglu lost control of his BMW, violently impacting the barriers at Turn 14 that protect the inside of the next corner.
The BMW driver got up on his own two feet, but was taken first to the medical center and then to the hospital in Moulins for tests. Medical tests revealed a pneumothorax, which prevented him from taking to the track on Saturday and Sunday, missing the three races of the weekend.
It was a great opportunity for his rivals, who could take advantage of his absence to nibble away a few points in the championship. Initially the Ducati riders managed to take advantage of the situation, but on Sunday in Race 2 Alvaro Bautista crashed, suffering a broken rib and interrupting his pursuit of the championship (at least for Sunday afternoon).
Fall of Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
Razgatlioglu’s three consecutive zeros are still the minimum compared to the outcome that could have had the very bad fall he was the protagonist of in FP2. The images are in fact impressive and the traumatic pneumothorax almost makes him breathe a sigh of relief at the thought that it could have been much worse. However, the injury was not very light and the Turk needs to rest, as BMW states.
The team issued a statement updating the rider’s condition through the words of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Manager Sven Blush: “We have received good news from France. Although Toprak still needs time and rest to fully recover, we would like to thank everyone in Magny-Cours and at the hospital in Moulins who have looked after Toprak. We will do everything we can to support his positive progress. However, we will not rush things, because Toprak’s health is our top priority. He will return to racing when it is possible, without any health risks.”
Razgatlioglu is already on his way to Italy: he will go to Cremona for the Superbike round that will take place next week, but it is not yet clear whether he will be able to take to the track or not. This is confirmed by the BMW press release, which states that the rider has already received authorization to leave France to go to Italy. Here he will continue the treatment to continue his recovery, which is going well, according to what the doctors at Magny-Cours reported.
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