SBK | Razgatlioglu cuts short: “Now we have to forget about MotoGP”

BMW’s star rider, Toprak Razgatlioglu, had a hectic break between the Misano and Donington weekends. After his hat-trick in the previous round in Romagna, Razgatlioglu was in the spotlight, especially due to the surprising statements of manager Kenan Sofuoglu, who seemed to be pushing him towards a future in MotoGP.

The World Superbike Championship leader then hit the headlines after a crash in training. Upon arriving at Donington, Razgatlioglu spoke about the incident and gave an update on his injury, which prevented him from competing at the BMW Motorrad Days in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

“I had a highside during training,” said Razgatlioglu, who was training on a low-displacement bike. “It was a big fall and I felt pain in my foot. I tried to move everything, but it was very painful. I cooled my foot with ice and realized that I didn’t break anything.”

“I was able to walk and move my foot. But I had to stop training for four days and rest,” continued Razgatlioglu, who is still the big favourite for the Donington weekend, the circuit being one of the former champion’s favourite tracks.

The BMW M1000RR has worked well on the British circuit in the past. Scott Redding has already finished in the top 3. “It seems that the BMW is not working badly here. I want to make it a hat-trick, that’s the goal,” said the world championship leader.

The jump to MotoGP is out of the question for now

Razgatlioglu’s success in the Superbike World Championship has once again put him in the running for a move to MotoGP. The rumours have been fuelled by surprising comments from manager and mentor Kenan Sofuoglu, who hinted at a move as early as 2025.

However, there is no attractive place for Razgatlioglu in MotoGP. Manager Sofuoglu has already backtracked and confirmed that his protégé will continue to ride a BMW M1000RR in the 2025 season.

Razgatlioglu himself also confirmed that he will respect the contract with BMW: “We will continue with BMW next year as well. Let’s see what happens in the 2026 season, but it has not been decided yet. This will be clarified next year. Now we have to forget about MotoGP.”

“I have to focus on my job here,” said Razgatlioglu. The outstanding Turkish rider wants to rewrite WSBK history with BMW: “This year is very important for me. We had a good start to the season and are leading the championship. I hope we can win the title.”

So far, Razgatlioglu has harmonized very well with BMW. Few expected the newcomer to challenge for the world title so quickly. “It’s a win-win situation,” Razgatlioglu says happily. “BMW is also getting stronger now and I’m getting more famous thanks to BMW. I’m very happy here.”

The Turkish crowd favorite wants to leave MotoGP out of the equation for the time being. “Everyone says I should move to MotoGP. I don’t want to go to MotoGP just to be the first Turkish rider. I want to fight for the championship,” he clarified.

Razgatlioglu has already realised that the transition from Superbike to a MotoGP prototype is not easy during the two tests with the Yamaha M1, which for various reasons were not as positive as he had imagined. “Superbike and MotoGP are completely different,” he confirmed.

Xavi Vierge, Team HRC

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Honda offer in SBK: Toprak is not interested

According to manager Sofuoglu, Razgatlioglu would only sign with an official MotoGP team. But what does Razgatlioglu himself say? Wouldn’t a customer Ducati be more attractive than an official Honda or Yamaha, for example? “Kenan is always focused on the official teams,” comments Razgatlioglu, not deviating from his manager’s line.

According to Italian media, Razgatlioglu has received an offer from the WSBK paddock. After the Misano weekend, HRC executives reportedly tried to convince Sofuoglu to bring his client to the official team of the Japanese brand. But this is out of the question for Razgatlioglu. “If I don’t move to MotoGP, I will stay with BMW,” the Turk clarified.