Where to go for Razgatlioglu…?
Superbike World 2021 champion, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, will be leaving the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team at the end of the 2023 season as he and Yamaha end their successful 4-year relationship amicably, with the Turkish racer going on looking for new challenge for 2024.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu
“I would like to thank the entire Yamaha family for the love and respect they have shown me. Winning the world championship was my dream when I signed with Yamaha and together we achieved it.
“For next season, I feel like I need a new challenge and while there is a chance in MotoGP, I don’t feel any connection with the MotoGP bike I have with the superbike.
“But if I stay at WorldSBK then I need a new goal, a new ambition. I regret leaving Yamaha, both the brand and the people, as we have a very good relationship, but change is part of any sport and is 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 my team who worked so hard for me..”
Razgatlıoğlu’s two-wheeler potential was evident from an early age. He won several Turkish National Motorcycle Championship titles as a child before being crowned the European Superstock 600 Champion in his first attempt in 2015. Progressing to the World Championship Superbike in 2018, he became the first Turkish rider to take the podium and score a class victory before signing with Yamaha for the 2020 season.
Razgatlıoğlu had an impressive start to his Yamaha career, winning his Phillip Island debut in 2020, before picking up two more convincing victories at Estoril later in the year on his way up to No. fourth on the championship standings.
The 2021 season saw one of the greatest title fights in WorldSBK history, as Razgatlıoğlu faced off against Jonathan Rea for the world championship crown. In the end, the Turkish rider reigned supreme, taking 13 wins, 29 podiums and three pole positions to claim the 2021 Superbike World Championship, ending Rea’s six-year reign as champion and gave Yamaha its first title in the class since Ben Spies in 2009.
In 2022, the Turkish star was once again caught up in a fierce championship war with Ducati’s Rea and Alvaro Bautista. Razgatlıoğlu missed out on a second straight title but ended the season with more wins (14) than in 2021, as well as 29 podium and four pole positions. He also became Yamaha’s most successful racer in WorldSBK history with 30 wins, surpassing the previous record held by Noriyuki Haga.
The 2023 season saw the Turkish driver display incredible stability and speed, with the 26-year-old currently second in the overall standings, having claimed one win and ten podium again in the first 12 races.
However, after four seasons, one world title, 31 race wins and another 47 podium appearances with Yamaha at WorldSBK, Razgatlıoğlu has decided to take on a new challenge in 2024 and will left Team Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK at the end of the year. this season. At the same time, both Yamaha and Razgatlıoğlu remain fully committed to fighting for the WorldSBK 2023 title.
Yamaha thanks Razgatlıoğlu for his great contributions to Yamaha’s sporting success at WorldSBK and takes this opportunity to wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.
Andrea Dosoli – Race Director, Yamaha Motor Europe
“We will regret it if Toprak leaves Yamaha at the end of this season. We want to continue our hugely successful partnership, with the clear highlight of the trio of world titles for drivers, manufacturers and teammates that we will win together in 2021. .
“We have come up with what we feel is an offer that truly reflects Toprak’s values as a Yamaha rider and ambassador, as well as the competitiveness of the racing package and strategy. our racing in the WorldSBK platform. However, as negotiations progress, it becomes clear to both sides that Toprak is motivated to take on a new challenge in 2024 and we respect his decision. While our paths will be different later this year, we are currently fully focused on the fight for the WorldSBK 2023 title, which will soon resume in Misano.
“Finally, I would like to thank Toprak on behalf of Yamaha as well as personally for his invaluable contributions to our WorldSBK project. His first world championship title in 2021 is a reward not only for him but also for all those who, since our return to WorldSBK in 2016, have worked hard to make it This project is a success. It’s a memory that everyone at Yamaha will cherish. We wish Toprak all the success in the future, but for now, we have a job to get done.“
