Toprak Razgatlioglu wrote his name in gold letters last year, crowning himself WSBK champion against Jonathan Rea. And, despite the fact that the current champion assures that his life “has not changed much” since then, the truth is that his name is a clear protagonist in the list of candidates for the tuning fork factory in the world championship.
“My life hasn’t changed much. I’m still the same,” the Turkish driver introduced in an interview with ‘GPOne’.
“Maybe I’m a bit more popular in Turkey because I have one more title under my belt,” the WSBK rider continued.
The talent of the Turkish rider took very little time to sound in the MotoGP paddock, with the idea of Razgatlioglu testing the M1 at the end of 2021 being put on the table, but this could not be done in time.
Nonetheless, Razgatlioglu is closely following the movements of his neighboring competition, despite the fact that Yamaha did not have the dream start during the start of MotoGP in 2022.
If we move to the paddock of the premier class, it is essential to talk about the situation of Fabio Quartararo. The boy from the Côte d’Azur arrived as champion and is fifth on the qualifying sheet, with only one podium in the previous four races.
His brand colleagues at Yamaha have not had it easy with the M1 either, whose most recurrent problems are the lack of power and performance. After the first five races, Franco Morbidelli and RNF rider Andrea Dovizioso have yet to stand out on the MotoGP qualifying sheet.
However, the numbers don’t deter Toprak Razgatlioglu, who says the bike can still express its potential in the months to come.
“In my opinion, the bike is not bad. I have spoken with Fabio [Quartararo] in the past. Quartararo has a great attitude and won the 2021 title with his head,” he concluded.
For the moment, the Turkish rider is focused on his goal: to retain his WSBK title. This situation will not be easy for Toprak, as it faces a season in which Bautista’s return to Ducati and Jonathan Rea’s hunger for victory will force him to give his best to become champion again.
