Toprak Razgatlioglu had a mixed start on the first day of racing at Phillip Island. Despite his efforts, he faced persistent problems with his BMW, which affected his race performance. Although he managed to pass Alvaro Bautista on the straight, a sign that his bike had good speed potential, he struggled with grip and tire vibration throughout the race.
Toprak Razgatlioglu explained that his problems started after changing tires, with a significant drop in performance. He struggled to maintain control of his bike through corners and maintain a competitive pace. Despite its efforts to keep pace with leaders like Iannone, Locatelli et Open up, he had to resign himself to a performance that fell short of his expectations: “ the goal is the podium. But Bulega was really strong, during the race I saw that he attacked hard and did a very fast lap. I know I have more, but I have to put it all in my hands ».
He adds : " we must keep the rear tire, but we don't understand how Ducati doesn't have this problem despite all its efforts. Iannone was also very fast in the final laps. Strange, maybe it depends on the different Ducati chassis, which do not overheat the rear tire. For me and BMW it was not an easy race ».
There's a first time for everything, right? 👀#AustralianWorldSBK ???????? pic.twitter.com/ZDEtZR8glE
- WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) February 24, 2024
Toprak Razgatlioglu: “ my bike wears out the rear too much, it seems like it's easier for the others »
The Turkish rider suggested the problems could be linked to his bike's setup or stiff chassis, which would complicate matters on the demanding Phillip Island circuit. Razgatlioglu also spoke about the fatigue accumulated by maintaining a race pace without being able to fully open the throttle, which hurt his chances of fighting for the podium: “ we did the first ten laps and already in the last two I felt that the tire was worn. After ten laps, the rubbers are destroyed. Maybe my bike wears out the rear too much, it seems like it's easier for the others. At the end of the race, unfortunately, I felt tired because I always had to manage the accelerator without being able to open it wide, as happens in Barcelona for example. We have data to analyze to work and improve ».
Despite his disappointment, Toprak Razgatlioglu recognized the progress made by its BMW in relation to the season WSBK previous, as well as the increasing competitiveness of its adversaries, with this mention: “ I liked the power of my bike, I was fast on the straight and I even overtook Alvaro on the straight. Great feeling! If you accelerate well in the last corner, you will be able to overtake the others here”.
He expressed his eagerness to participate in European races, hoping for an improvement in his performance on circuits more suited to his driving style: “ we will wait for the European events, but in the meantime, let's do our best ". Then he finishes: “ I did my first race with BMW, I'm not happy with a fifth position and I wouldn't have been happy with a fourth place either ».
WSBK Phillip Island J1: ranking
