Toprak Razgatlioglu says he is feeling quietly confident about his chances of a first victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as he looks to build on an encouraging - if somewhat ragged - BMW debut in the 2024 WorldSBK opener.
The Turkish rider picked up a best finish of third place during the Superpole Race at Phillip Island for BMW’s first WorldSBK podium since 2022, though he struggled to demonstrate the record-breaking pace he’d shown at the venue during pre-season testing.
With his weekend being ended by a dramatic mechanical failure, Razgatlioglu arrives in Spain looking to make up lost ground around a circuit he feels the BMW M 1000 RR should perform well at.
Indeed, though the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is characterised by its low grip, high degradation surface, it also has one of the longest straights on the calendar, a feature that allowed Alvaro Bautista to romp to three dominant victories in 2023 on the Ducati.
Pointing out that he was able to keep the Spaniard at bay repeatedly in Australia, he says this should put him and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team in good stead for Round 2.
“I like this circuit, just it has the problem of the grip. In testing, we find some good setups. I hope this weekend, my feeling is good, especially with the grip and that I’m fighting for the win. It’s a very difficult track for everyone.
“In the Superpole Race in Australia, Alvaro didn’t pass me on the straight; this is very good. In general, I’m very happy because the bike is very fast on the straight.
“In testing, I was worried because the pace wasn’t strong, especially on day two. Then, we found some setup, we had a good race pace in a 12-lap race simulation; all laps were in the 1’41s and really strong lap times.
“I hope we are in the top three or four but I’m ready to fight in the last laps. The target is to win, or the podium. Realistically, my target is the podium. It looks possible. In the race, if I’m feeling the potential for the fight, I’ll try to win because I’ve never won here.”
Razgatlioglu also gave an insight into the lengths BMW are going to get him acclimatised to the M 1000 RR, revealing he will get an all-new seat he requested for Round 3 at Assen.
“After some bad luck, BMW are working a lot; it looks like everything is fine. I asked for a new seat position, BMW immediately made it but I’ll use it at Assen.”
