Champions Week on WorldSBK.com continues with the young Turkish rider who destroyed the competition in the 2015 FIM Superstock 600 Championship, taking its last title before the category became obsolete.

Who is Toprak Razgatlioglu?
One of the most conspicuous riding talents of the new generation. Born in Alanya, a town on the southern coast of Turkey, he is the next generation and mentored all the way by four-time World Supersport Champion Kenan Sofuoglu. And he’s only 19, having celebrated his birthday in October.

How did he win the 2015 title?
By shattering the opposition. Completely. Fans and rivals alike were stunned by his form. He had come onto the stage in the final race of 2014 at Magny-Cours, which he won. That continued with success at MotorLand as the 2015 campaign began, winning both races in what was the only double-header of the season. In fact, it all started with five wins from the first five races of the season: Aragon (twice), Assen, Imola and Portimao. This meant six straight wins in total: a new record for the category. Third place at Misano marked the first time he hadn’t enjoyed the top step of the podium, but it didn’t matter because the title was now won. The end of the season was disrupted by a collarbone breakage while training at Sofuoglu’s track in Turkey, which resulted in missing the penultimate race of the year in Jerez. He was back for France, though, where he finished on the podium to cap off an unbelievably successful year with his seventh top three finish of 2015.

What will he be doing next year?
Racing in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup…and Sofuoglu reckons that Toprak is even quicker on a 1000 than he is on a 600. Keeping things consistent, Razgatlioglu will remain with the same Puccetti Racing Kawasaki team.

Did you know?
Competitiveness is in the blood for Toprak. In his time, his father was a famous Turkish stunt rider: Arif ‘One Wheel’ Razgatlioglu (Tek Teker Arif). Toprak first mounted a bike at five years of age and started racing at eight. Then along came renowned talent scout Kenan Sofuoglu as friend, advisor and manager. They have never looked back.