In his first race on Yamaha, Toprak won the opening round of the 2020 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 the five-time World Champion Johnny Rea (32) and his new teammate Michael van der Mark (31)
Born on October 16, 1996 in Alanya, the 23-year-old Turk won his first two WSBK races at Magny-Cours last year, then 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 and 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.
He is the son of the famous Turkish stuntman Arif Razgatlioğlu, nicknamed Tek teker Arif “Wheelie Arif”, who died on November 17, 2017 in a motorcycle accident in the city, with his fiancée who was a passenger.
Toprak finished second in the European Superstock 1000 Championship that same year in 2017, on a customer Kawasaki, behind Michael Rinaldi and his official Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team Ducati Panigale R.
At the beginning of this year, “At Phillip Island I really felt a lot of pressure as I was starting a new adventure, but getting on the podium immediately helped me overcome the tension » explained the protégé of Kenan Sofuoglu (5 times Supersport World Champion) to Worldsbk.com.
“The first thing I noticed on the Yamaha was the excessively harsh suspension, but once it was softened it was a first big step forward, and now in general I feel very good in the saddle. »
Toprak's move to Yamaha was one of the two biggest transfer events last season, along with Alex Lowes' move in the opposite direction from Yamaha to Kawasaki. Not an easy decision for Razgatlioglu, who does not spare his words to compliment his former team manager Manuel Puccetti.
“I talk to Puccetti often, he’s a really good person. It wasn't easy to change teams after five years, but being part of an official team was a priority. I had two options, Yamaha and Kawasaki, and with Kenan (Sofuoglu) I chose the first”
Sofuoglu’s fundamental role was interesting: “ I have always listened to Kenan and I continue to do so, since he was a five-time World Champion. After racing and winning in Stock 600, I wanted to move up to Supersport, but Kenan told me his dream was to see me race and win in Superbike. So I did two seasons in Stock 1000 and then moved to Superbike. I listened to it, and I came all the way here. »
In conclusion, Toprak talks about the influence of his Muslim religion, especially with the month of Ramadan. “ From 22 p.m. to 4 a.m. you can eat and drink as much as you want, while the rest of the day you must fast. The last hour before resuming eating is always demanding, it never seems to end (laughs). On race weekends during Ramadan I eat normally, then I start Ramadan again on Monday. » And his religion is also the reason why Toprak abandons champagne on the podium.
Tek teker Arif, Toprak's father
Photos © Yamaha, Puccetti
