Defending WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu admitted he is “not 100% ready” ahead of the season opener in Phillip Island.
After recording BMW’s first championship on two-wheels in 2024, the Turkish rider is looking to become the fourth rider to win three or more WorldSBK titles.
Razgatlioglu’s pre-season campaign hasn’t gone as he’d hoped, missing the European test in Jerez due to an injured index finger sustained from a Motocross accident.
Despite recovering from this specific injury, he crashed on both days of testing in Phillip Island, leaving the Turkish rider feeling unequipped on setup for the upcoming season opener.
He avoided major injuries from both crashes, but he admitted he can ride “without problems”.
“After the crash, especially on the second day, we started off well because our main target is to find the right setup for the race,” he said to WorldSBK.
“We finally found something, but we’re not 100% ready yet. After the crash, we lost two hours of riding, and the afternoon brought some rain, so we only got the last eight minutes to ride the bike.
“We found a few things, but we’re still not 100%, so we’ll see how it goes on Friday. The weekend is really important, and we’re doing our best, as always.
“I feel the same as before, but I’m continuing to ride the bike. We’re racers, and it’s crucial to keep riding.
“This is an important weekend because it’s the first race of the 2025 season. Even though I’m still not 100%, after a couple of laps, the pain isn’t too bad, and I can still ride without problems.
“We also did some good lap times on race tires, so I’m a bit excited for the first race!”
Toprak Razgatlioglu unable to provide reasons behind ‘very strange’ Monday crash
Razgatlioglu’s biggest crash arrived on Day 1, where he was catapulted off his Bavarian machine at Turn 6.
He shared that he was unable to provide any reasons for the crash, and neither he nor his team understood the root cause.
“For me, it was a very strange crash. We checked the data. I’ve got 39% gas and I highsided because the traction wasn’t working there.
“I spoke with my electronics guy. He checked why it wasn’t working and he didn’t know. I’m lucky nothing is broken but I feel pain everywhere, especially in my hand.
“Now it isn’t bad, but I need a little bit more. I saw the picture when I was flying! I immediately tried to cover my hand.
“The finger isn’t bad; I feel a little bit of pain. I’m still riding the bike; this is the important thing.
“I think, for the race weekend, I’ll feel much better because we have three or four days. It looks like everything is going positively, only this morning was a little bit strange.”
