There has been much talk about Toprak Razgatlioglu in the weeks after Misano. The Turk has come under the spotlight for rumors that he was close to MotoGP, following which he was the victim of a motorcycle accident during a training session last week.
At a press conference called on Thursday, the BMW rider wanted to take stock of the situation, trying to clear the field of any doubts starting with the transfer market.
“First of all, I would like to say that next year I will still race in Superbike with BMW, ” he began , “I know very well that there has been a lot of talk in recent weeks about MotoGP, but we will talk about that later in 2026 and it is not even certain that it will happen. Now I have to forget about MotoGP and stay focused on Superbike because we are first in the World Championship and it is something incredible for BMW. All together we are doing something fantastic and I hope we will become world champions.”
Toprak, what was true about the MotoGP front? Just a lot of rumors or something concrete?
“Kenan manages my situation and we talked about it. The question I ask myself though is one: if I don’t have a good contract and a factory bike, why should I go to MotoGP? I don’t want to go to MotoGP to race just because I am the first Turk in history or to make up the numbers or even to see my name impressed. By the way, I know very well that at the beginning I should suffer and I would also be willing to do that, but not to fight for the bottom positions in the standings. If I have to suffer it is to fight for the top positions and not the last places, in fact we have to remember that SBK and MotoGP are completely different. In this paddock I feel a family atmosphere and I am happy to race here.”
Is it true that Honda sought you out in SBK?
“I’m riding a BMW now and I’m not interested in having other bikes outside of this one in SBK. Certainly other teams have come forward, but to stay racing in SBK I am not interested in other bikes except BMW. When I signed with BMW many people were talking a lot, still others were saying my career would be over. Many people didn’t believe in me and instead now we are first in the World Championship and we also won races. So BMW is my present and for me this and MotoGP we will talk about it next year.”
Toprak, we know you got injured in training. How are you doing?
“I was really scared about that crash. It was a big highside with the bike I use for training. I was afraid I had broken my foot because on the straightaway I was in a lot of pain. Fortunately I could move it, in fact I realized that there was no break. I then went for medical examinations to understand the situation and was then able to walk and later return to training.”
Were you afraid you would have to stop?
“The moment I crashed, I thought about the World Championship and the fact that there would be two close races. Inside I was very worried because I feared the stop. As if that was not enough, at this time of the season we are also first in the World Championship. At the end of the day, though, we are riders and it is our duty to train. I do the same in the gym and in the pool to try to be fit.”
How does Toprak arrive at Donington?
“I feel strong and have fun when I ride the bike. I feel a different Toprak than usual, which is to say strong, aware of what I am and among other things I am enjoying myself managing to improve. I am very curious about this weekend and I am looking forward to it. Here I have always been competitive and on Friday we will understand more about our potential.”
