The ever-growing discuss of BMW coming into MotoGP has come properly in parallel with it taking a serious step in World Superbikes. And the rider central to that step isn’t any stranger to being linked to MotoGP himself.
Toprak Razgatlioglu had been on MotoGP’s periphery for years and, as Yamaha’s lead WSBK rider, even secured a Yamaha M1 check final 12 months – however when that did not create a tangible path to a premier-class stardom, there gave the impression to be widespread acceptance that the ship had sailed.
As an alternative, the check and the shortage of premier-class curiosity that adopted, particularly from Yamaha, appeared to solely assist push Razgatlioglu again into the arms of BMW for a reunion in 2024.
There, he has remained arguably World Superbikes’ most necessary rider – the inheritor obvious to veteran dominators Jonathan Rea and Alvaro Bautista, and the rider who each stored WSBK from being a complete Ducati walkover final 12 months and appears like he might properly play that half once more this 12 months.
But the timing of the BMW transfer simply will not let that MotoGP dream go. For simply as Razgatlioglu has turn into BMW’s talisman and its ‘face of the franchise’, the prospect of a BMW MotoGP programme out of the blue appears extra life like than ever.
BMW’s open secret
Rumours of the producer – a long-time associate of MotoGP on the industrial facet – significantly evaluating a programme in grand prix racing had intensified via the beginning of 2024, earlier than Markus Flasch – the CEO of BMW’s bike division – straight up acknowledged an curiosity.
“They don’t seem to be ‘rumours’ after they say it publicly!” laughed MotoGP sporting boss Carlos Ezpeleta when requested about BMW on his look on The Race MotoGP Podcast.
However Ezpeleta additionally emphasised, as Flasch himself has achieved, that given it is a company entity a BMW entry is not only one thing that may or can be rubberstamped at a second’s discover.
“We have had rumours earlier than, it is necessary to maintain our expectations and aspirations [in check].
“However yeah, it might be superb. BMW is an unimaginable model, globally, each on two wheels and 4 wheels.”
Ezpeleta reckoned that BMW has been comparatively subdued when it comes to its motorsport output as of late – with no Method 1 entry and a protracted absence from the highest tier of sportscar racing (although that one has now ended with the introduction of the brand new BMW M Hybrid V8) – however pressured that it nonetheless retains “such a sporty notion”.
“That is why I believe it is an unimaginable match,” Ezpeleta stated. “We have been related to BMW for a really very long time now, we’re super-happy, I am an enormous BMW fan myself.
“It is a dialog that is occurring – however after all there’s loads to do.”
He additionally emphasised the worth it might generate for “not solely Motorrad [BMW’s bike division] however for the entire BMW ecosystem”.
In different phrases, MotoGP promoter Dorna is absolutely on board. And BMW’s two-wheeled ambitions seem supercharged proper now – additionally due to the funding acquired by its WSBK programme, together with a check rider line-up of Sylvain Guintoli and Bradley Smith, two riders you might additionally completely describe as “who you’d rent for those who have been planning to construct a MotoGP bike”.
However how does and may Razgatlioglu match into this?
The scene-stealer
Razgatlioglu was clearly not employed with premier-class designs in thoughts – as an alternative, BMW is rewarding him handsomely to be the centrepiece of a World Superbike programme that wanted to get a transfer on.
The marque had received only one race for the reason that finish of 2013 – a shortened moist race, at that – regardless of having had bikes on the WSBK grid in some capability yearly. Even after correctly restarting its works programme within the sequence, in 2023 it solely narrowly noticed off Honda within the struggle to not be final of the fifth producers.
This 12 months, there is no Honda struggle to talk of. And that is not simply right down to Razgatlioglu – however he has definitely performed his half.
The win depend since 2013 has now been tripled, each of the brand new wins coming within the dry, and if not for an engine going pop at Phillip Island he can be second within the championship at worst.
At Barcelona, Ducati was anticipated to dominate – and it type of did. But Razgatlioglu was nonetheless the very best scorer, regardless of BMW’s very doubtful latest document on the venue. And it is making the beforehand unattainable appear genuinely believable.
His supervisor Kenan Sofuoglu, the World Supersport legend, described him as a “favorite” for the championship now – though possibly not the favorite – when speaking to WorldSBK.com. And he stated the 2024 title was now “positively” the goal.
“After we signed, we signed for 2 years – however we did not know when [we could go for the title], first 12 months or second 12 months,” stated Sofuoglu. “We have been believing extra for the second season.
“However after winter testing, I instructed Toprak, ‘This 12 months we will win the championship’. As a result of the bike is even nicer than we anticipated.”
The place issues go from right here
Razgatlioglu is already BMW’s chosen one, already a game-changer. If he by some means will get a WSBK title over the road this 12 months, he may have immediately made himself a BMW icon.
However will that be sufficient to make BMW decide him because the rider to deliver it to MotoGP?
Sofuoglu, who by the way sounds very satisfied that BMW actually is pushing laborious for a premier-class programme, has definitely entertained the thought.
“Contemplating what Toprak is doing, I believe they will be very enthusiastic about him [for MotoGP],” he instructed UK publication Bike Information.
“After all, Toprak would like to do MotoGP. We are going to take a look at any alternatives and see which is greatest. For 2026, when his present contract is over, he’ll have a difficult choice – if he is received World Superbike with BMW, I believe many MotoGP groups can be enthusiastic about him.”
A BMW MotoGP experience would presumably be in query for 2027, which is when MotoGP begins its subsequent laws’ cycle. A 2026 transfer as an alternative would logically be with another person, for the ultimate 12 months of the present guidelines.
Razgatlioglu can be 29 to start out the 2026 season. And if he debuts in 2027, he would accomplish that as an age-30 rider, which might be a humongous outlier in trendy MotoGP. Excluding wildcards/damage alternative rides, you would need to go to 2018 with Tom Luthi to search out the latest instance, and Luthi was a barely left-field decide and off the grid after a single season (with the workforce that employed him additionally off the grid).
So the concept a number of MotoGP groups can be lining as much as rent Razgatlioglu appears far-fetched. And whereas BMW already has each cause to revere him, the concept it might plunge into a brand new MotoGP programme with a 30-year-old rookie rider, with out premier-class expertise – it is simply not how these items are achieved in the mean time, actually.
It’s going to even be keenly conscious and aware of the truth that Yamaha did not make the leap when it had the prospect. It ran Razgatlioglu in a check however felt the takeaway was that it might take too lengthy to get him tailored to MotoGP – particularly in its scenario of getting simply the 2 works bikes and no present satellite tv for pc outfit.
And there was a long-lingering doubt over whether or not Razgatlioglu’s huge power – his potential to hammer the brakes – can be blunted on MotoGP’s Michelins in comparison with WSBK’s softer Pirellis.
Iker Lecuona, who raced extensively in each classes final 12 months, defined the distinction throughout his Dutch TT 2023 look: “With the Pirelli, the bike dances extra on the exit after which the braking space you possibly can push loads. You possibly can brake laborious till the tip of the braking, till the nook.
“I bear in mind in qualifying I made quite a lot of errors on the primary tyre, I went large, as a result of I had the Superbike chip on my thoughts, and I wished to brake later and later, and it is the alternative.
“It is a utterly completely different approach to work with the tyre.”
No person is saying it is one thing Razgatlioglu would not crack, as a result of the respect for his expertise is immense.
Fellow BMW WSBK rider Scott Redding, himself an often useful if very inconsistent operator in his time in MotoGP, stated to Germany’s Motorsport-Whole after Barcelona that Razgatlioglu was only a flat out extra proficient rider than him. And Razgatlioglu is now a rider who’s received on three completely different bikes in WSBK.
However there is no wise case to fault Yamaha for snapping up Alex Rins for its works MotoGP workforce as an alternative, and the comprehensible feeling that MotoGP and Razgatlioglu are lacking out on each other proper now most likely misses the larger image.
As an alternative of MotoGP getting a really proficient rider in his prime who most likely can be blunted a bit by an adaptation grace interval and in addition would not have the perfect bike at his disposal, Razgatlioglu stayed in WSBK and has arguably been crucial rider when it got here to creating it good.
In 2023, with the Jonathan Rea/Kawasaki partnership winding down, there was a severe danger of Alvaro Bautista and Ducati making issues utterly unwatchable – however whereas there have been definitely bouts of dominance, there have been additionally wheel-to-wheel classics made doable significantly by Razgatlioglu, and a title race that was nearer than the factors make it appear.
This 12 months Ducati has a possible ‘different primary’ in its roster, having slotted in Nicolo Bulega alongside Bautista. Bulega’s presence was at all times going to make sure a minimum of some intrigue, and he is duly main the championship proper now – however Razgatlioglu stays the sequence’ “magic man”, the rider who makes issues occur.
At Barcelona, he first reeled in and overtook Bulega regardless of an unassailable-looking hole within the opening race, then starred in what might be the perfect race of the 12 months: a mesmerising 10-lap dogfight during which the highest two on the start-finish line modified in all however one of many 10 laps.
A dogfight capped off with an already-iconic last-corner overtake, too, instantly famous for its similarity to Valentino Rossi’s classic mugging of ascendant famous person Jorge Lorenzo on the similar observe in 2009.
Similar go, similar flip, fifteen years aside ↔️
Yesterday, @toprak_tr54 impressed everybody along with his expertise as soon as once more, replicating the well-known go that @ValeYellow46 made on @lorenzo99 again in 2009 😮💨#CatalanWorldSBK 🏁 pic.twitter.com/aGYXE6AbIO
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) March 25, 2024
The WSBK/MotoGP system is best off having Razgatlioglu the place he’s now. And that logic might properly apply in 2026/27, too, when he is a 30-year-old nonetheless in his prime who needs to be preventing for extra wins and titles reasonably than studying a brand new self-discipline.
However possibly by then he may have completed what he got down to do in WSBK – and possibly his curiosity and BMW’s respect may mix to make one thing occur in spite of everything.
