Toprak Razgatlioglu returned to winning ways at Portimao after a terrible start to his title defence at Phillip Island.

The opening round of the 2025 World Superbike Championship was a difficult weekend for Toprak Razgatlioglu and BMW.

The reigning Champion had gone from being a dominant force in 2024 to struggling to claim a podium finish at Phillip Island. However, after a month away from racing, the Turkish rider was back to his best at Portimao.

Razgatlioglu beat his title rival, Nicolo Bulega, in three head-to-head scraps at the Portuguese circuit. He is now 29 points behind Bulega in the World Championship standings.

"For me, I love fighting. I never give up," Razgatlioglu told WorldSBK.com after the Portuguese WorldSBK Round.

"The bike isn’t 100%, but I’m only pushing for the win. Race One for me was a hard race because I lost the front a few times. I just tried to follow him and then win the race.

"In Sunday’s two races, the pace was incredible. We improved the bike, and I felt more grip, but turning was the same. I’m just fighting for the wins, and everyone enjoyed it.

"After Phillip Island, we are coming back very strongly and showed everyone we’re here."

Razgatlioglu had now taken back-to-back hat-tricks at Portimao but believes his 2025 performances were very different to last year's.

"It’s very different to 2024 because I lost some parts on my bike," he explained.

"We’re fighting in every corner and some sectors he’s very strong, and in some I just tried to close the gap. I think the people really enjoyed it.

"I’ll keep fighting, we’ll see in the next races. In the first two races, he was very strong. I’m fighting here because it’s my favourite track, I’m always fast here, and we needed to win."