On June 16, 2024, the FIM Superbike World Championship took place in Misano Adriatico, Italy. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team, riding the BMW M 1000 RR, had an exceptional performance with their star rider, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu #54 from Turkey. The Sports Director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport, Marc Bongers, was impressed with Razgatlıoğlu’s historic achievement of winning all three races in Misano.
Prior to the weekend, Razgatlıoğlu had set the goal of winning all three races and had good reasons to be confident after performing well in the Misano test in May. While Razgatlıoğlu had brought BMW back to victory this season, he had not achieved a triple win since the 2022 season. Furthermore, BMW had never accomplished this feat before the weekend. However, Razgatlıoğlu fulfilled his promise and emerged victorious in all three races in Misano, setting a new lap record and securing pole position on Ducati’s home turf.
Bongers expressed his surprise, stating, “I am speechless. It was an absolutely fantastic weekend. We came here with some hope, but to dominate like this at Ducati’s home round was extraordinary. After the test we had before, we knew we were in a strong position, but now we have broken all records: lap record, fastest race lap, pole position, three wins, and we are leading the championship with Toprak. This is fantastic for the team and the brand. We extend our gratitude to everyone who contributed to this tremendous success.”
Before the Misano weekend, Razgatlıoğlu was behind former championship leader Alvaro Bautista by six points. However, Bautista only managed a pair of third places in the main races and a 17th place in the Superpole race aboard his Arubat.it Racing – Ducati. Instead, it was Ducati rookie rider Nicolo Bulega who posed the closest challenge to Razgatlıoğlu, securing three second places.
As a result, Razgatlıoğlu now has a 21-point advantage over Bulega, putting him at the top of the rider standings. The Turkish rider expressed his satisfaction with his performance over the weekend, stating: “Before the weekend, I said that my goal was to win all three races, and I finally achieved it. I am incredibly grateful to my team for their exceptional work this weekend. Especially on Sunday, we made further improvements to the bike and I felt more comfortable with it. I particularly enjoyed the final race, which was challenging for everyone due to the hot conditions and increased sliding. However, we did an excellent job. This victory is the result of teamwork, because I cannot win alone. Everyone has put in a lot of effort, and now we have finally achieved three wins in a single weekend. It feels like this is just the beginning. Thank you to everyone involved!”
© 2024
