THE rumours were true, as it has just broken that Toprak Razgatlioglu has signed for the ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for 2024. This news comes just a few hours after announcing his split from the Pata Yamaha team earlier today.
This will see the Turkish champ' taking on the WorldSBK championship next year with M 1000 RR power beneath him, and the manufacturer becomes the third manufacturer he has raced for after Kawasaki and Yamaha. It also means a key rider placing for next season is sealed, as WorldSBK silly season approaches.
Speaking about the his new sigining, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director, Mark Bongers said:
“Toprak is undoubtedly one of the best riders in the field at the moment, which he not only proved by winning the 2021 World Championship title. But he's not just a fast motorcycle racer, he's also a great personality off the track. We are convinced that Toprak will settle into the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family very quickly. We are looking forward to our collaboration and to our future together.”
The original article published earlier continues below:
TOPRAK Razgatlioglu has confirmed that he will leave the Pata Yamaha World Superbike team at the end of the 2023 season, ending months of speculation around the 2021 World Champion’s future.
The next big question that needs answering is where will the Turkish rider be next season. While there has been much talk of a move to MotoGP, fuelled further by an impromptu test on the M1 MotoGP bike earlier this year, Razgatlioglu has seemingly cooled down on the idea of a move to the premier class, claiming he didn’t have the same feeling on the prototype machine that he gets from his production-based superbike.
“I want to say to the whole Yamaha family a very big thank you for the love and respect they have shown me. To win the World Championship was my dream when I signed with Yamaha, and we reached that goal together,” he said. “For next season I feel I need a new challenge and while there was an opportunity in MotoGP, I didn’t feel the same connection with the MotoGP bike that I have with the superbike. But if I am to stay in WorldSBK then I need a new target, a new ambition. I am sorry to leave Yamaha, both the brand and the people, as we have a very good relationship, but change is part of any sport and normal for any professional. So, a big thank you to Yamaha Motor Company, Yamaha Motor Europe, Yamaha Motor Turkiye, the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK team and especially to my crew, who have all worked so hard for me.”
Commenting on the statement from Razgatlioglu, Andrea Dosoli, Road Racing Manager at Yamaha Motor Europe, said:
“We will be sorry to see Toprak leave Yamaha at the end of this season. We wanted to continue what has been an incredibly successful partnership, with the obvious highlight being the triple crown of rider, manufacturer, and team world titles that we won together in 2021. We made what we felt was an offer that properly reflected Toprak’s value as a rider and an ambassador for Yamaha, as well as the competitiveness of our racing package and our racing strategy within the WorldSBK platform.
“However, as the negotiations progressed it became apparent to both parties that Toprak is motivated to embrace a new challenge in 2024 and we respect his decision. Although our paths will diverge at the end of the year, we are now fully focused on the battle for the 2023 WorldSBK title, which resumes shortly at Misano. Finally, I would like to thank Toprak on behalf of Yamaha but also personally, for his invaluable contribution to our WorldSBK project. His first World Championship title in 2021 was a just reward for him but also for all the people who, since we returned to WorldSBK in 2016, have worked so hard to make this project a success. It is a memory that everyone at Yamaha will cherish. We wish Toprak every success for the future but, for now, we have a job to finish.”
