Toprak Razgatlıoğlu (born 16 October 1996) is a Turkish motorcycle road racer. He won two World Superbike Championship titles. He raced a factory BMW M1000RR in the 2024 season and won his 2nd title in the Superbike World Championship in his debut season for BMW.[1] He first rode the BMW at private tests held after the 2023 season at Portimão and Jerez.
After riding for Kawasaki, Razgatlıoğlu rode a factory-team Yamaha YZF-R1 from 2020 until 2023, winning the 2021 Superbike World Championship, ending Jonathan Rea's six-year reign. Razgatlıoğlu is the first Turkish Superbike World Champion and has the most wins for Yamaha in the championship.[2] He then won the championship again in 2024, becoming the first BMW rider to win the title.
Early life
Born in Alanya, Razgatlıoğlu is the second son of famous Turkish stunt motorcyclist Arif Razgatlıoğlu who was known as "Tek Teker Arif" ("Wheelie Arif"). His father died, together with his girlfriend who was riding on the pillion seat, following a motorcycle accident in Antalya on 17 November 2017.[3]
Career
Early career
He competed in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2013 and 2014, finishing 10th and 6th overall respectively. He finished first in the 7th race of the 2014 season in Sachsenring, Germany.[4]
Razgatlıoğlu was an upcoming performer with Turkish Puccetti Kawasaki racing team from 2018 and was partnered with factory Kawasaki riders Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam for the 2019 Suzuka 8 Hours, a track endurance race. Due to not being allowed to ride with the other two taking turns throughout the race, Razgatlıoğlu soon left the Kawasaki marque to become a factory Yamaha rider from 2020. He became World Champion in 2021 after finishing 2nd in Race 1 at the Mandalika International Street Circuit.[7][8]
Under contract to Yamaha in the Superbike class from 2020 until 30 November 2023, Razgatlıoğlu was prevented by Yamaha from testing his 2024 BMW machine at an official test held immediately after the 2023 season-end race at Jerez in late October/early November, when Jonathan Rea, previously with Kawasaki Racing Team and Razgatlıoğlu's direct replacement, was allowed to participate on his new Yamaha.[9]
Toprak Razgatlioglu at Donington Park, 2024
Razgatlıoğlu was offered a test on 22/23 November with gagging conditions attached, but chose to wait until 4 December when out of contract to Yamaha.[9] He rode the BMW over two days at Portimão,[10] followed by another test at Jerez.[11]
2024
BMW signed Razgatlıoğlu in 2024 on a two-year deal.[12] Razgatlıoğlu won his first race at race 1 in Catalunya, the first win for BMW since 2013 and his 40th overall.[13] He would then proceed to win the Superpole race by overtaking Álvaro Bautista at the last corner of the final lap.[14] Toprak scored his first hat trick in Misano;[15] this was followed by further consecutive hat tricks at Donington,[16]Most[17] and Portimão.[18] Razgatlıoğlu crashed heavily during free practice at Magny-Cours and was ultimately diagnosed with a back contusion; the session was red-flagged as a result. Razgatlioğlu would ultimately be declared unfit to race.[19]
Razgatlıoğlu broke the record for most consecutive wins in a season with 13 following his hat trick in Portimão;[20] he celebrated breaking the record by imitating a viral pose struck by Olympic silver medalist shooter Yusuf Dikeç.[21]
MotoGP World Championship
2022
In June, Razgatlıoğlu got an opportunity to test a Yamaha YZR-M1 during a one-day MotoGP private test at the Motorland Aragón circuit. Razgatlıoğlu completed forty laps during this test. No empirical data was made available from the test likely owing to the test's confidentiality and press being locked out of the event. He was accompanied by Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow during the test.[22]
2023
Yamaha officially announced that Razgatlıoğlu would ride the Yamaha YZR-M1 during the development tests held at the Jerez circuit in Andalucía, Spain, when he joined Yamaha MotoGP test rider Cal Crutchlow for two days on April 10 and 11. This was the second test on the YZR-M1, following his first ride at Motorland Aragon in June 2022.[23]
Personal life
Nicknamed El Turco, Razgatlıoğlu is managed by former multiple time WSSP champion Kenan Sofuoğlu. He resides in Sakarya.
