If, in MotoGP, the sensational event in the transfer market was Marc Marquez leaving Repsol Honda for Gresini Ducati, in WSBK, it was Toprak Razgatlioglu who took the spotlight by refusing an offer from Yamaha to move to BMW. Sportingly, the Turk's bet is even greater than that of the Spaniard, because he joins a bike which has won nothing. The fact remains that his choice led to a game of musical chairs putting Jonathan Rea on his now old R1, leaving the Kawasaki factory orphaned. A challenge, too, for the Northern Irishman, but the 2021 World Champion assures that he would not have done so in his place.
The advisors are not the payers, they say, but that doesn't stop them from giving their opinion. Toprak Razgatlioglu, who took his first spin on his new BMW in Portimao, thus looked at his successor on the Yamaha R1, who is anything but an unknown. It is in fact a six-time World Champion in the category reserved for motorcycles from the series which is taking up its old quarters. Thus ending a nine-year epic with Kawasaki.
Toprak Razgatlioglu: “ if Jonathan Rea had stayed, Kawasaki would have worked hard to turn things around and he would have been strong again »
Public chat Bikesportnews, he comments on this change as follows: “ I'm not surprised. The Yamaha is a good bike. It's a good change, plus Johnny is fast and drives well. I talked to him and I understand him a little. He is still a winning driver and he wants to win again ».
Then he adds: “ OK, he's getting old, but after nine years at Kawasaki, I wouldn't have made any changes if I had been him. He was like a Kawasaki hero, that's why I would have stayed with them, but I understand his reasons and I respect them. He also thinks about increasing his victories and winning another World Championship » analyzes the pilot of 27 years.
But he also mentions that this departure will not be without consequences on the involvement of the Akashi brand in WSBK: “ I think if he had stayed Kawasaki would have worked hard to turn things around and he would have been strong again. But we both decided to opt for a new challenge » he concludes. We will remember that the recut Jonathan Rhea was replaced by the Italian hope Axel Bassani on the ZX-10R.
