SBK | Phillip Island: Toprak's debut with BMW went… up in smoke

The Phillip Island round has a bittersweet taste for Toprak Razgatlioglu, who made his race debut in BMW colors and immediately proved to be fierce and competitive. On the flying lap he confirmed the speed, but then in the race the problems over the distance emerged. However, he returns home with a podium finish in the Superpole Race, but also with the disappointment of a retirement due to engine failure.

“I liked the power of the bike, I was going fast on the straight and I even passed Bautista! It was a good feeling”, said the Turk at the end of Race 1, which ended just outside the podium but with excellent conditions. If the top three positions slipped away on Saturday, Toprak didn't miss the opportunity on Sunday, when in the Superpole Race he managed to grab third place. The final test would have been Race 2, but it is difficult to imagine a final, given that in the early stages the engine of his M 1000 RR started to smoke, forcing him to stop well in advance.

“I'm very disappointed. Before retiring, I had the feeling of being really in harmony with the bike for the first time. Then I had an engine problem,” explained the 2021 world champion on Sunday afternoon at Phillip Island. Razgatlioglu leaves Australia in eighth place in the championship, 32 points behind current leader Sam Lowes.

Looking at the weekend in its general framework, Toprak does not express great satisfaction. The podium in the Superpole Race does not console him for the retirement in Race 2 and the problems that emerged throughout the weekend: “All in all, I am not very satisfied, even if I managed to get on the podium. I was ready to fight for the victory in the Race 1, we managed to improve the bike and for this reason I had different expectations.”

However, Phillip Island is always a story in itself. Historically not congenial to the characteristics of the Turk, it may be a relative point of reference, but it is certainly an important starting point to be able to improve in view of the next round: “We learned a lot during the races. With the help of the data collected, we can continue working on the bike. On the other hand, this circuit is very different from the European ones. For this reason I can't say with certainty that we have learned something new.”

Not everything is so bad at BMW according to Toprak, who claims to arrive stronger in the European circuits: “The start wasn't bad. Things went well, especially in Superpole. We are improving step by step. I'm focusing on race pace, because it's very important in Barcelona, ​​the rear tire is very stressed on this track. We need a good set-up for the main races,” concluded Razgatlioglu.