WSBK, Razgatlioglu: “Rossi is a legend and I am very happy that he has a good opinion of me”

Born October 16, 1996 in Alanya, Toprak won his first two WSBK races at Magny-Cours in 2019, on a Kawasaki ZX-10RR from the Turkish Puccetti Racing team. His first success was winning the Turkish 600cc Championship on a Yamaha R3 in 6, before finishing first in the 2012 European Superstock 2015 Championship on a Kawasaki, winning the first 600 of 4 races. He preceded Michael Rinaldi, Federico Caricasulo et Augusto Fernandez in the final ranking.

Since then, Toprak has won 3 World Superbike races and been on the podium 17 times in 64 events. He has set the fastest lap three times and has scored a total of exactly 500 points since his SBK world debut.

“I only really realized I was a professional last year when I really started to understand motorcycling. Until the previous season, I felt like a person who only ran for fun” explained the Turk to Gianmaria Rosati of GPOne.com.

Then this year, for his first race on Yamaha, he won the opening round of the Superbike World Championship on February 29, which then allowed him to leave Phillip Island third in the provisional standings with 34 points behind alex lowes (51 points) and Scott Redding (39), but ahead of five-time World Champion Johnny Rea (32) and his new teammate Michael van der Mark (31).

“In the days leading up to the weekend I knew it wasn't going to be easy to do well at Phillip Island as I was struggling with a completely new situation, despite some positive testing. I considered Race 1 very important, and winning immediately gave me a lot of energy and serenity. But we must not forget that racing in Australia is completely different from racing anywhere else. »

Do you feel ready to resume the season?

" Absolutely. In Turkey I managed not to stop training and did a few laps on the Kenan track (Sofuoglu) every day with different types of motorcycles and karts. »

“Obviously getting back on my R1 will be special and it will take some time to readjust, but from a physical point of view, training with Kenan helps me a lot. To be honest, more than training, it's the races that interest us, since we do a lot of laps at full speed. »

Who will be your rivals for the title? Rea and Redding, or will there be other protagonists?

“I think the top 5 in Superbike are all really fast, and everyone has their favorite circuits where they go even better. In my opinion, Lowes and my teammate van der Mark will also be in the lead, but it is too early to be sure, we have to wait for the first races of the second part of the season. »

Speaking of van der Mark, what is your relationship with him?

“I am lucky to have him as a teammate, especially after several seasons spent as a solo driver in my team. He's a nice guy and a fast runner. In Australia we fought together and it was fun, I think he can do really well during the season. »

Rea remains the man to beat. Does he have a weak point for you to attack?

“Difficult to say, he is a fast and consistent driver. I think he had his best season last year when he beat Bautista and Ducati. He is a driver who attacks from the first to the last lap. He's helped me a few times in previous years, and maybe I'll still need some time to beat him. »

Did you have a favorite driver when you were younger?

“No one but Kenan.” It’s really helpful to have him as a coach. Especially last year when he really helped me. In some races I wasn't fast and I put it down to some bike problems, but he made me understand that the problem was my mind and not the bike, he told me to only think about driving. I did it for the first time in Imola, and I got my first podium, so I continued in this way and the results came. I understood the importance of the mind, and that the main problems of a pilot are precisely mental. »

With this new mentality, you managed to win your first victory in Superbike, at Magny-Cours.

“Exactly, and it was a special weekend.” After the first free practice session in the rain, I asked the team not to touch the bike, I just wanted to ride it, and things got better with each session. »

Many predict that you will have a future in MotoGP. What is your opinion ?

“Normally my dream is to win the SBK title. Once I achieve this goal, I can consider moving to MotoGP, but my current dream is to become champion in this WSBK championship. »

In MotoGP you already have some fans, since Valentino Rossi said he was impressed by your debut in Australia.

“Rossi is a legend that I have always followed, so I am very happy that he has a good opinion of me. »