BMW Motorrad CEO Markus Flasch described its WorldSBK championship win as a ‘landmark’ achievement.
Toprak Razgatlioglu became the first rider to win a two-wheeled championship for the Bavarian brand in the season finale at Jerez.
The Turkish rider joined at the start of the 2024 season and was on the top step of the podium 18 times, becoming the third rider in WorldSBK history to win two world titles with two different manufacturers.
BMW boss Markus Flasch praised the team’s achievement as a “landmark” feat and was complimentary of Razgatlioglu and what he brings to the German team.
“This is a landmark for BMW and we’re very excited that we achieved this,” BMW Motorrad CEO Markus Flasch told WorldSBK.com after the last race at Jerez.
“I think we really deserved it. We’re supportive of motorsport in general as BMW, and motorsport is all about heroic stories.”
“Everybody likes heroes and Toprak [Razgatlioglu] has shown what it means not just to be champion or a professional athlete, but also with his attitude and the way he shares the value of the brand, BMW are very happy about that.
“A friend of mine in the USA said there are different categories of riders, and Toprak is definitely an alien because he brings the sport to the next level. At the same time, he’s humble.
“The way he came back after his accident, it was amazing to me, and it shows how strong he is mentally.”
BMW’s Marc Bongers – “Nobody could have thought” Toprak Razgatlioglu’s success in his first year
BMW Motorrad Motorsport director Marc Bongers stated that Razgatlioglu’s achievements throughout the season were completely unexpected
“The target was, when we signed Toprak [Razgatlioglu] for a multi-year deal, we said ‘Okay, the target is to win a couple of races in the first year and take the championship the second year,’” said Bongers to WorldSBK.com.
“For sure nobody could have thought this scenario.
“As you know this has been really emotional because we’ve had really tough areas, we all sacrifice a lot,” he said.
“I’ve been in this project for 10 years. Sometimes we are our own biggest opponents.
“I’ve carried this project through, we’ve had an impressive crew, an impressive team, and support from my family. It’s hard, but it’s nice…we are going to party and we will party big.”
