Toprak Razgatlioglu has spoken of his pride at becoming a race winner in BMW colours for the first time after securing two hard-fought wins from the three races at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The 2021 WorldSBK Champion enjoyed a weekend of firsts by both claiming pole position and topping the podium with the M 1000 RR, ending the German manufacturer’s wait for another victory stretching back to the 2021 WorldSBK Portimao Superpole Race.

Timing his charge to perfection during the full-length Race 1, Razgatlioglu would stick to his race plan and not become flustered even as Nicolo Bulega stretched more than four seconds clear of him at one stage. Reeling the rookie in during the closing stages, Razgatlioglu pounced on the final lap at Turn 5 before carrying onto the flag for a satisfying 41st career WorldSBK win.

It was a similar story in the Superpole Race, Razgatlioglu leaving it even later to mount his bid for victory with a bolshie lunge at the final turn on Alvaro Bautista just metres from the flag.

Echoing Valentino Rossi’s famous pass on Jorge Lorenzo during the 2009 Catalunya MotoGP, Razgatlioglu admits he’d kick himself if he didn’t have a go.

“We did an incredible job,” Razgatlioglu told WorldSBK.com. 

“[In the Superpole Race] Last lap, Alvaro passed me, I am just looking for the corner to attack but I am not close to him. At corner ten I am thinking full attack, but he has better acceleration. I remember Valentino Rossi many years ago passing Jorge Lorenzo at the last corner and I thought that if I don’t try, I am really angry!”

 “The pace was very strong, I tried to follow them but after I spin a lot, I just close gas because the race is 20 laps and I need more grip the last five laps.”