By opting for BMW, Toprak Razgatlioglu took a gamble in a career in WSBK until then declined with the sure values of the category which are Kawasaki and Yamaha. This time he joins the ranks of a brand that entered this competition in 2009 and whose best final result was a runner-up place in 2012 with Marco Melandri. Since then, it's been a bleak situation, including with an M1000R that its current owner Scott Redding doesn't spare any more than the general organization of the competition department. But precisely, and as his martial manager Kenan Sofuoglu signals, if they win despite everything, it will be like winning the day by entering another dimension, the one that history remembers.
Et Kenan Sofuoglu known : " I am convinced that success with BMW will make Toprak Razgatlioglu a very special driver. At Yamaha it was the same in the past. At that time, I also told him that if he won with them, he would become a star in this paddock ". On speedweek, the Turk also points out that his thoroughbred does not arrive alone: “ Toprak will bring his crew chief Phil Marron from Yamaha to BMW and we will place other people that Toprak likes », noted Sofuoglu. “ Some mechanics would like to go to BMW with Toprak, they love it. We are talking to BMW about it. We have a plan for Toprak and a long-term relationship with BMW. Some things still need to be prepared ».
Kenan Sofuoglu: “ BMW's package is not bad, what they are missing is a driver like Toprak Razgatlioglu »
But regarding the result that will result, there is no doubt on the part of the man who was nicknamed on the track “Kenan the terrible”: “ Toprak has a great talent that runs deep. The talent is deeply rooted in him. When something goes wrong for him, he figures out how to fix it. Then he goes to the track and shows it off. BMW's package is not bad, he's actually pretty good. What they lack is a flexible and talented driver like Toprak. It's hard to predict 100 percent, but I'm 99 percent sure that it will make BMW successful ».
So much so that he puts forward this forecast for 2024: “ I am very confident that Toprak will finish next season in the top 3, without any injuries or bad luck. I even see the possibility of him winning the title. At the end of our agreement, we will have won the championship ". Then he concludes: “ a lot of people think we made the wrong decision. I am very excited about this change for Toprak. It's good for the championship. Even in the MotoGP paddock, some high-ranking managers asked me why we chose BMW. I told them they would see ».
