Paul Denning, Yamaha WSBK Superbike team manager, praised Razgatlioglu. Meanwhile, he trains and jokes in his Türkiye.
It's not always easy to accept defeat, but Toprak Razgatlioglu has turned the page and is already thinking about the 2023 Superbike World Championship. In his native Turkey, he is training for the final tests which will take place from December 13 to 15 in Jerez.
Yamaha will be on track with the Pata team and with the GRT team for important work before next season. Considering that in the “satellite” team there will be the debut of Dominique Aegerter et Remy gardner, called upon to familiarize themselves with the R1, development will rest mainly on the shoulders of the Turkish driver andAndrea Locatelli.
In the meantime, he posted photos and videos of his training sessions on an enduro motorcycle on Instagram. There is also room for irony, with an image that sees him passing through a wall. A funny sketch, undoubtedly.
Razgatlioglu has won 14 races in 2022, one more than in 2021 when he became Superbike world champion. They were not enough for him to conquer Alvaro Bautista and his Ducati. Paul Denning explained what was missing to fight for the title until the end: “ the level of the championship was much higher this year – he declared on the official WorldSBK website – and we destroyed the lap times. A breakthrough has been made, but we haven't done enough. Alvaro has only made one mistake all season, at Donington. Not being perfect cost us the chance to fight at Phillip Island. Alvaro deserves his title, but Toprak was still exceptional ».
« Being compared to Razgatlioglu in WSBK is like being compared to Marc Marquez in MotoGP«
The retirements in Race 2 at Assen and Race 1 at Misano certainly weighed on the Toprak course, but the rival Ducati also scored two zeros. We must also take into account eleventh place in the first round of Magny-Cours and fifteenth in that of San Juan Villicum after a few falls. Lots of points lost. To beat Baptist, you had to be almost perfect, as the team manager of Yamaha .
We were probably expecting something more Locatelli, which had a good start in 2021 and was expected to take a new step in 2022. But Denning continues to have great confidence in him: “ being compared to Razgatlioglu is difficult and it would be for any other driver. It's like being compared to Marc Marquez, it will always be complicated. Midway through the season, he struggled. In Indonesia, we brought something that helped him regain his confidence. He performed excellently, even reaching the podium. After Indonesia and Australia it has a better base for winter testing ».
The rider knows that in 2023 he will have to do well, his contract is expiring and his saddle is coveted by many colleagues. Much will depend on him, but Yamaha must also do its part. The team manager has no doubt: “ we must continue to develop the motorcycle – he explains – et Yamaha works hard. When the competition is this strong, you can't have weaknesses, you have to face it and move forward ».
