WSBK Superbike Barcelona Toprak Razgatlioglu: “one of the three most important overtakes of my career”

The second race weekend of the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship (World SBK) in Barcelona has turned into a success story for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. After pole position and a first victory on Saturday, Toprak Razgatlioglu and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK had a lot to celebrate on Sunday, the Turkish rider winning a another victory during the Superpole Race in the morning, before getting on the third step of the podium during the second main race.

During Superpole qualifying on Saturday morning, Toprak Razgatlioglu had already made the team jubilant. By setting a new track record, he put his BMW M 1000 RR in pole position. In the race, he initially kept the lead, before temporarily dropping to third place in the tight fight for the top positions. The Turkish driver, however, did not lose his composure. He first recovers second position, then sets off in pursuit of Nicolò Bulega (ITA / Ducati), who leads the race by several seconds. In an exciting end to the race, Toprak Razgatlioglu regains the lead on the last lap and defends the victory until the finish line. Among the first to congratulate him, Markus Flasch, director of BMW Motorrad, attended this successful race on Saturday at the Barcelona venue.

Marc Bongers, director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “An incredible day!” We knew we were strong, but we also knew that it would be extremely difficult against the Ducati. I said this morning that we would have two people on the first two rows of the starting grid. That's what happened. So I was convinced that we could fight for the podium. I would also have been very happy with second position, but the way Toprak pushed in the final laps was simply incredible. Thanks to this guy, thanks to the team for this wonderful package. We deserved it, but I didn't think it would happen so soon. So I'm very happy. Now we focus on tomorrow, there are two races left – and then we will party! »

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 1 / R01: 1): " I am very happy. Thanks to my team, they did an incredible job and we finally won. This victory is of particular importance to me, because I had never won on this circuit before. It was my dream and I finally won a victory in Catalonia. It's an incredible moment because this race was very difficult. If we win here, I think the fight will be easier on other circuits. After Bulega passed me I followed him, but after two laps I realized I was pushing a little too hard on the rear tire. The podium is enough for me because I know that on this circuit, the rear tires lose a lot of their effectiveness in the last five laps. In the last five or six laps I saw that Bulega was starting to drop and I pushed hard, especially on the brakes. At the first round of the season I felt a lot of pressure, because it was my first weekend with BMW, but here that was no longer the case, and with Markus Flasch here we wanted to do something thing for him. Getting pole position and winning the race made it an incredible day. We have two more races tomorrow and we will now focus on these. »

The Superpole race on Sunday morning kept everyone in suspense. Starting from pole position, Toprak Razgatlioglu initially found himself in fifth position. On the fourth of ten laps he moved up to fourth place, and on the next lap he made a sensational move to regain the lead. He then fought with Andrea Iannone (ITA / Ducati) and Álvaro Bautista (ESP / Ducati) with several changes in the lead for victory. In the last turn, Toprak Razgatlioglu once again executes an impressive maneuver and takes his second victory of the weekend.

Toprak Razgatlioglu also started the second main race on Sunday afternoon from pole position. After the start, he was briefly in fourth position, but it didn't take long for him to work his way up to the podium positions. He remained behind the Ducati riders Bautista and Nicolò Bulega (ITA), but this time it was not enough for a final sprint to the summit. Thus, the BMW driver concluded his extremely successful Barcelona weekend with a third place on the podium.

Reactions after the second race in Barcelona.

Marc Bongers, director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “Before coming here, we were hoping to get another podium. That was the goal after a good test last week, but we also saw that the Ducatis were extremely strong. To win four trophies, pole position, two victories and a podium is absolutely magnificent. Honestly, I am speechless. This is extremely good for the project and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season, which gives me even more confidence. Not only Toprak, but also Mickey did a fantastic job, with a fourth place in qualifying yesterday, a sixth place in this morning's Superpole race and a very good fourth place in the second main race. It's well deserved. I'm enjoying the present moment. It is very moving, this weekend has seen nothing but highs. We've had enough lows over the last few years, so it's good to get through the valley of tears. »

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP Race: 1 / R02: 3): “I am really happy with this moment because it is a dream. Not only for me, but also for BMW and the team. We had two victories in Barcelona, ​​and for me it was an extraordinary weekend. The last race today was very difficult, the pace was very high. Alvaro had a normal start and then pushed very hard. I tried to follow him, but I felt a lot of slippage and I reduced the throttle because in a 20 lap race you need a good tire with good grip for the last five laps. But overall I'm very happy because we got on the podium in all three races, including two wins. The Superpole race was particularly incredible, when I overtook Alvaro in the last corner. I think it's one of the three most important overtakes of my career. I am also very happy for BMW. We are moving forward step by step and I think we will be stronger on the other circuits. Everyone is very happy and will now work even harder. We have a very good package. We are coming, we are not that far away and this year I think we can achieve many victories and I hope we will be world champions. I hope ! »

In the championship:

1. NICOLO BULEGA 87
2. ALVARO BAUTISTA 75
3. ALEX LOWES 75
4. TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU 71
5. ANDREA IANNONE 51
6. DANILO PETRUCCI 47

The third round of the 2024 WorldSBK season will take place from April 19-21 in Assen (NED).