Razgatlioglu: “Win ​​every race that comes along”

Jonathan Rea's strongest opponent this season, the Turkish rider wants to concentrate all his efforts in the quest for the title, before possibly thinking about a move to MotoGP...

He is the strong man of the moment in Superbike: Toprak Razgatlioglu continues to impress in the championship of motorcycles derived from the series, holding its own against the six-time World Champion in the category, Jonathan Rhea. The two men left tied for the seventh round in Navarre, and promise to continue tough battles to obtain the title at the end of the season, with six rounds still to go.

However, Razgatlioglu almost lost everything at Assen at the end of July, when he was the victim of a fratricidal clash with Garrett gerloff at the start of Race 2, while at the same time Rea scored a hat-trick which could have put him away for good in the general classification. The Turkish rider then came very close to giving up, relegated to more than one victory from the Kawasaki rider, a normally crippling gap against a rival of Rea's caliber.

 

The fight for the title, an unprecedented situation

But he managed to get back on track, partly by ignoring the issues at stake in the championship and this new and confusing situation that this fight for the title may have constituted for him. " This season I'm very surprised because it's the first time that I'm very close to Johnny [Jonathan Rea],” he declared on the microphone of the Superbike official website. " I was a little stressed, and after the Assen round I told myself that the championship was over, but I still managed to get back into the race. I don't consider the championship, I just try to win every race that comes along. I used to pay too much attention to the championship, and it made me nervous. »

It must be said that this duel against Rea almost refers to an Oedipus complex for Razgatlioglu, chaperoned during his first two full seasons in Superbike, while he was riding a Kawasaki (on behalf of Puccetti Racing), by the one who would later become his great rival. " It is special for me to fight against him because in 2017 and 2018 he helped me, so to speak, in all the races. He's someone I respect a lot,” he admits.

 

Spectacular driving as a trademark

Author of six victories so far this season, Razgatlioglu has earned a reputation as a rough driver on the track. Which has not always been to everyone's taste, and in particular Scott Redding during the last event run in Most a little over two weeks ago.

But the fact is that the Yamaha rider, if he now swears to pay less attention to the championship, was well aware that the opportunity to catch up with Rea was too good in this race, while the Northern Irishman was coming to give up after falling a few moments earlier. « During the last race at Most, when I saw that Johnny had made a mistake, I told myself that I had to launch a big attack to get the 25 points for victory », He explains. " Scott was very angry afterwards, but I didn't understand his reaction in the sense that it was racing, and neither of us crashed. »

 

 

Although he readily admits to being a tough pilot in combat, he also believes that he does not take unnecessary risks involving his safety and that of other pilots on the track. “ I am certainly an aggressive driver, but I do not come into contact with other drivers, and I do not have clashes with them. I admit that I am aggressive on the track, but certainly not dangerous. »

On closer inspection, we can only admit that Razgatlioglu has instead been the victim of sleazy maneuvers by other drivers this season, as evidenced once again by his accident with Garrett Gerloff in the Netherlands at the end of July, and which could have sounded the death knell for his championship ambitions.

 

A unique driving style

The fact remains that Razgatlioglu is an atypical driver and appreciated within the paddock as well as outside. The latter is particularly known for his inimitable driving style, mainly involving heavy braking which often allows him to make the difference against his competitors during close combat, as well as during starts. " I like this style of driving, the simple fact of making big braking,” he admits. “ I find that this allows me to stop the bike better and then benefit from better acceleration. Afterwards, I also know that it looks very good on television… It's my style, I know it's a little different from that of other drivers, but I've always driven like that and it suits me very well. »

Present on the field during the Austrian Grand Prix around ten days ago, the Turk has long been tipped to join the ranks of Yamaha in MotoGP from next year, while the brand with tuning forks sees itself constrained this season to use the services of numerous pilots to compensate for the absences of a Franco Morbidelli injured or Maverick Vinales fired.

 

There is no question of dispersing

But in both cases, Razgatlioglu preferred not to race two hares at once and to concentrate on Superbike, leaving to others, who a former rider of the premier category (Cal Crutchlow), who another driver from the championship of motorcycles derived from the series (Garrett Gerloff, again), who of a Moto2 entry (Jake dixon), the care of playing replacements.

Because number 54 does not want to put the cart before the horse: An arrival in MotoGP, if it indeed constitutes a long-term objective, is conditioned before that by obtaining the title in Superbike. " Once I am World Champion in Superbike, then I will consider moving to MotoGP. I hope I can be Champion this year, that’s my dream in any case with Yamaha. »

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