Toprak: “If we had more power I would have easily fought for the title”
Toprak Razgatlioglu is convinced he could have beaten Alvaro Bautista to the 2023 WorldSBK title had his Yamaha had more power.
A problem for the Japanese manufacturer not just in WorldSBK, but the lack of straight line speed has also affected Yamaha in MotoGP over the last few seasons.
But now a BMW rider, Razgatlioglu appears to be very happy with the level of performance coming from his M 1000 RR in that same area.
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Hoping to be a title contender again in 2024, Razgatlioglu felt as though he could have pushed Bautista even further this season had the same power been available aboard his R1.
Speaking to WorldSBK.com about his season, Razgatlioglu said: “In general we have always been very strong in the corners, if we had had more power on the straight I would have easily fought for the world title.”
The Turkish superstar also spoke about his best and worst moments, saying: “Every weekend I gave more than 100% and I enjoyed it. The best moment for me is when I win. The happiest was maybe Imola, where I won the Superpole Race and Race 2.
“The worst moment is easy: Most, when the tyre destroyed itself and I went flying in my best race of the year.
“The moment that made me the most angry was Race 2 in Portimao because I gave more than 100% every lap and at the last corner I lost the victory.”
Nearly 200 points clear of Jonathan Rea, his 2021 title rival, come at the end of the season, Razgatlioglu mentioned the six-time world champion as his biggest surprise along with former team-mate Andrea Locatelli.
Razgatlioglu said: “Jonathan Rea, because he was not really strong this year. Maybe because of the motorbike or maybe for something else, I don't know.
“In some races he did well and in others he wasn’t fighting for the top positions, this surprised me.
“The other is Andrea Locatelli, who has made a big improvement this year. Not a big surprise, but he was really very strong, especially in the first races.”
