The Yamaha rider became this year the first World Champion of Turkish nationality in the category. But it could have been quite different if he had persisted, as was the original plan, in 600cc.
After six months of intense competition and a fierce duel against Jonathan Rhea, Toprak Razgatlioğlu finally won the Superbike title after the suspense in Indonesia last month. The conclusion of a season where the Turkish driver won no less than 13 victories in 37 races, for a total of 29 podiums.
In fact, the Yamaha rider became nothing more and nothing less than the first Turkish driver to win in the category, helped by his mentor and five-time Supersport World Champion (in 2007, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016), Kenan Sofuoğlu.
Continue in 600cc or upgrade to 1000cc: a real dilemma
The latter in fact took his young compatriot under his wing about ten years ago, with the firm intention of taking him to the pinnacle of the championships of motorcycles derived from the series. With the success we know today, even if we can undoubtedly say that Razgatlioğlu's current triumph finds its source in a career choice that might have seemed baroque five years ago.
Indeed, freshly arrived in the Superstock 600 championship in 2015 when he was not even 20 years old, Razgatlioğlu was led the following year to make a decisive choice for his future, namely to continue in 600cc or to jump the step to go directly to 1000cc, strongly encouraged to favor the second option by Sofuoğlu.
A decision a priori counterintuitive, while the latter obtained his letters of nobility in the Supersport category (and therefore on 600cc machines), but it is because Sofuoğlu had ambition for his foal as well as for his country , Turkey, then still without a Superbike Champion. “We have invested over ten years to bring Toprak to this level of performance”, recalls Sofuoğlu at the microphone of Superbike official website.
“When he joined the European Superstock 600cc Championship in 2015, he won everything in the category. Everyone then thought I was going to make sure he moved to Supersport. But no ! I actually thought that Turkey had already won enough titles in this category. For me, what Turkey needed was clearly a Superbike title, and so I encouraged him to instead join the 1000cc Superstock by explaining to him that he absolutely had to build his career to lead eventually in Superbike. »
“Everyone expected me to make Toprak move to Supersport, but no! »
With certain success from the outset, since Razgatlioğlu only missed the title for his first appearance in the European Superstock 1000 Championship in 2017 by an unfortunate eight points, before taking the plunge in 2018 in Superbike with Kawasaki Puccetti Racing.
The Turk would then make sparks, obtaining his first two podiums and the title of best rookie of the year in the category, before continuing in 2019 with his first victories (including a memorable double at Magny-Cours ) while this time winning the title of best independent driver. Then came the move to Pata Yamaha and a steady rise to his title this season.
A desire to adapt as quickly as possible to driving a larger engine
Enough to validate the intuition of Sofuoğlu, who had to use persuasion to get his protégé to choose the 1000cc path very early in his career. But it must be remembered that this decision makes good sense when we know the journey of the five-time Supersport Champion, who himself attempted the adventure in Superbike in 2008 in the wake of his first coronation, only to finally become disillusioned in his new discipline and going backwards.
But the fact is that driving a 1000cc is not the same as riding a 600cc, and that Sofuoğlu had already acquired habits which he, by his own admission, never managed to break away from in order to adapt. to his new mount: “I actually remember that for my part I spent too many years in 600cc, and subsequently I was never able to change engine size, it was too late for me”, confides the person concerned. “On the other hand, Toprak was at that time very young, still very fresh and malleable, but also talented. »
“I spent too many years in 600cc, and after that I was never able to change displacement”
Of course, this decision was initially not without causing turmoil between the two men, while Razgatlioğlu saw himself continuing in 600cc and having a career similar to that of his idol. “At the time, he didn’t really agree with me”, continues Sofuoğlu. “He didn't understand how a five-time Supersport Champion like me wouldn't make sure he followed the same path. But I told him that I intended to make sure that he was even more victorious than me in the end. »
It is clear that if Razgatlioğlu's record is not yet at the level of that of his master, he nevertheless already has a trophy that Sofuoglu will never have managed to collect. And of course, the new Superbike title holder thanks Sofuoğlu for pushing him to believe in his chances, and especially in his talent, to run for the title in this category. “Today that he won the Superbike title, he explained to me that he was ultimately very proud and very happy that I pushed him to make this career choice”, explains Sofuoğlu, who is also proud to have allowed Turkey to have the first Superbike World Champion in its history. “We invested a lot in our country to get him to this level, and today it happened: he wrote history for our country in the discipline. » A first chapter written which undoubtedly calls for others in the future.
