Portimão.
Preparations for the 2024 season of the FIM Superbike World
Championship (WorldSBK) are picking up the pace. Newcomer Toprak
Razgatlioglu (TUR) completed his first days of testing as a BMW
Motorrad WorldSBK factory rider on Sunday and Monday. Together with
the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team and his team-mate Michael van
der Mark (NED), Razgatlioglu took to the track in Portimão in Portugal.
Razgatlioglu used the first test to familiarise himself with the BMW
M 1000 RR and to get to know his new team. There will be two more days
of testing on Tuesday and Wednesday in Jerez de la Frontera in Spain.
Reaction after the Portimão test.
Toprak Razgatlioglu: “In general, I am really happy
because it has been a very positive test. My feeling for the BMW M
1000 RR is very good. Now I understand the bike and we did also very
good lap times regarding the track conditions which were not the best
so I did not push towards a fast lap time and we did not use the
softer tyre. I am enjoying it even if I could not do so many laps. We
are learning because this bike is completely different for me but I
now start to adapt to it. Especially on Monday I had a much better
feeling for the front than before. And the power and the engine brake
are unbelievable and the bike is very fast on the straight. I am very
positive, we just need to do more laps. Thank you to all the guys,
they gave me are warm welcome and everybody tries to improve, which we
immediately did. We will see, I need more time. If we have good track
conditions, I think that I can ride a good lap time because especially
the front feeling when I enter the corner is now much better. The
traction is working very well and I have more power. In general, I am
very happy and after the first laps I would say that we are not far.
We are coming.”
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “For
sure, it has been a test under difficult conditions. It turned out
very clearly that we missed five weeks, we would have preferred to
test in November in sunny weather. In addition, you are anxious to see
how the first test will be. On Sunday, we made a very short-term call
to use a few sessions of a track day with the guys just to get some
dry time, because the weather forecast for Monday was bad, as it was
proven then. Still we got about 30 laps in of Toprak on the BMW M 1000
RR and that is very valuable input. We did not test a lot but for sure
it was important to get his first feedback, to get the ergonomics
right, getting him to know the system. And from here we are going to
head to Jerez where again the weather forecast does not look so good
so we have to use every single dry time we might have. In general, I
am positive after these first days. There have been a lot of positive
comments, no dramas, we just went through a couple of points what we
could offer him and what he feels and that was very good. He was not
only very positive about the power of the BMW M 1000 RR but also about
our electronics, turning and so on. Everything he said is a base to
work from and built on. It confirmed that we have a good package and
now we need to get the most out of it with him and the other guys as
well. Mickey did some laps on Sunday but obviously with a lot of track
day guys on the track it has been not so easy. But we wanted Mickey to
go out just to have that reference. Then on Monday we said that it
makes no sense for him to go out in tricky conditions as he knows the
bike and the package.”
Shaun Muir, Team Principal ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK
Team: “First of all, welcome to Toprak and to all the new
mechanics who have joined the team for 2024. The test itself was a bit
strange at the beginning. We took the opportunity to get some dry lap
time on Sunday afternoon which was less than ideal but the weather was
good. Monday morning, on the official test day for us, the weather was
not ideal but we took the opportunity to go out in the afternoon. The
track was still damp but it was a good start. The feedback from Toprak
was super, it was precisely what we were hoping for. We know his
riding style, we’ve watched him, we know what we need to do to adapt
the bike to him and we’ve taken the first steps in doing that. I feel
happy that the test has been of some use even if the conditions have
not been ideal. We ticked some boxes and that was really important.
For Jerez, we hope to get dry track conditions. Toprak still needs
more laps to adapt to the bike before we can even start to compare lap
times and to work on the fine tuning. For Michael, the test has been a
bit strange. He did not have a lot to gain and a lot to lose. For him,
it wasn’t ideal. We tested some parts on Sunday afternoon which was
only a very small outing for him. He supported Toprak and will be back
on the bike in Jerez.”
Michael van der Mark: “Unfortunately, I did not do so
many laps during the test. That has been bad luck. But it was nice to
be with the team and to have Toprak in the garage. There are some new
mechanics and it was nice to spend a few days with the guys. Hopefully
we have some better luck in Jerez. There are so many things to test,
so hopefully we can finally go out with the bike. My first impression
was that the whole atmosphere in the team is really good. I really
enjoyed it even if I did not ride very much.”
