Recently, Toprak Razgatlioglu has been in the news not only for his excellent results in the World Superbike Championship, where he is currently in the lead in his first year with BMW, but also because of the surprising statements of his manager and mentor, Kenan Sofuoglu. The latter revealed Toprak's ambition to join MotoGP in 2025, despite a contract valid with BMW until the end of 2025.
Sofuoglu admitted that contacts had been established with various brands in the MotoGP paddock, while recognizing that without the agreement of BMW, this transfer would be impossible. After dropping this bombshell, they left the final decision to the leaders of BMW, a company that has invested heavily in Razgatlioglu and the WorldSBK project. It was therefore unthinkable that BMW gives the green light to this departure.
The management of this situation by Sofuoglu et Razgatlioglu was widely criticized. Although Toprak's aspiration to race in MotoGP is legitimate, he has a contract with BMW which he must respect. Currently, we live in a period where contracts are sometimes treated as mere formalities, but this usually happens when results are not there. However, in the case of Toprak, the results are excellent.
Why BMW should he let Toprak go? After all, Sofuoglu had to go back on his initial statements, announcing that the rider would remain in Superbike with BMW until 2025. This about-face, however, created tensions with BMW, shocked by the words of the two Turks. The serene atmosphere that the team boasted was somewhat shaken.
Kenan Sofuoglu and Toprak Razgatlioglu play with fire with BMW
The WorldSBK championship will resume July 12 to 14 at Donington Park, and the presence of Razgatlioglu there is no doubt. His training injury is not serious : according to close sources, it is a simple bruise which should heal in a few days. However, he will not be present at the BMW Motorrad Days from July 5 to 7 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Is it only to recover from his injury, or is there a link with the tensions born from his recent statements? This could be a slight signal, even a warning, to the management of BMW according to Motoracing.
It will be interesting to see how things develop Donington. Will there be repercussions as a result? statements from Toprak and Kenan, or will everything go as planned? The world championship is at stake and the team BMW certainly does not wish to give gifts to Ducati. It is essential that all parties find harmony to continue working together effectively. Driver and manager play with fire: BMW is not just any team, but an offshoot of a global giant. We can imagine that they know perfectly well how to secure foolproof contracts.
