Toprak Razgatlioglu's sometimes superhumanesque capabilities will remain in WorldSBK with Yamaha for two more years, as was confirmed recently, but it was all about his on-track performance at Donington in rxeace one that lit up the great start to what was often a 23-lap thriller of an opener.

Starting from 13th place on the grid after a very wet FP3 and a wet Superpole qualifying, Razgatlioglu knew his day had not got off to an ideal beginning as he lined up on the fifth row of the grid.

“For me not a good start,” he told bikesportnews.com. “Wet conditions - I’m not fast. I saw on the grid a dry line. I said to myself, ‘I have just one chance.’ In general I like wet/dry conditions. On the first lap I tried my best, but after laps some mistake in corner two and almost a high-side, small one, but I am scared also.”

He went on to win by over two seconds, and although slowing up he was actually running out of fuel on the final lap! It was an amazing recovery from way back.

That near-highside he mentioned was not the biggest of his dramas as he looked back nervously as he crossed the line, with a lack of fuel making itself felt. “On the last lap my fuel was finished. I looked back at Johnny because I was running out, but I’m scared because every lap I was winning and also gapped him four seconds. On the last lap my fuel was finished, so I was looking like finishing in second position - and this is not good.”

It all came right in the end for Toprak, who eventually got a push back to the pitlane ceremony on his dry bike from the rider who finished in third place, Alex Lowes. “Also thanks to Alex because he helped me get back to the grid.”

Razgatlioglu also had the right side of his tyre all used up in the increasing dryness of the race, but it all worked out in the end and he gained five more points on Rea, his real target for the season. “I am really happy because I took good points for the championship, another 15 points. Also the team worked well this weekend. Maybe not a good bike set-up for wet conditions, but I’m always faster in dry conditions and also wet/dry conditions. I am happy today.”
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With several patches of different asphalt, even in some crucial section, Razgatlioglu used more do the track than most other riders in Race One, which he was aware of. “I tried because before the race on the two laps, I looked everywhere. I thought no problem because I was not feeling any sliding - just corner two big sliding and very close to crash. Normally I wait and then crash, but I regained grip.”

Razgatlioglu has done this kind of run through the field before, in Magny Cours in recent times, at Magny Cours, having started even further back - none of which detracted from his astonishing first two laps at Donington this year.

“I think in 2019 you remember my record race, 17th start to win in the race?” Asked Razgatlioglu. “Also there were wet and dry conditions on that track. Here I think more, because the first corner full wet, a very small line in the dry. But I ride this good because normally I like it, these conditions. Johnny’s normally fast, but I say again because I have just one chance for the win, and I tried it.”

And now Razgatlioglu is looking for a fully dry rceday on Sunday, “I hope tomorrow is dry. I am checking every hour.”