The battle for third is a big one in the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and grabbing the upper hand after day one at Losail is Turkey’s Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing). The recently-turned 23-year-old ended day one fourth and ahead of his Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team rivals. However, with the pace set to be upped on Friday and Saturday, the battle remains fierce, unpredictable and eye-catching.

Holding top spot for most of the FP1, Razgatlioglu would eventually be pipped by fellow Kawasaki rider, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). The Turkish rider finished second before slipping to fourth in FP2, with the ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati riders of Chaz Davies and Alvaro Bautista coming on strong in the night time session. With Razgatlioglu in fourth and right behind the podium, he will look to sign-off 2019 on a high and as the world number three.

Speaking after the opening night under the lights at Losail, Razgatlioglu said: “It was a positive day, though the track was slippery and it’s easy to make mistakes. I felt quite comfortable on my bike, but we need to work tomorrow so that I can find a better feeling with the front,” began Razgatlioglu, locked in combat with the battle for third overall in the Championship standings.

Razgatlioglu is in scintillating form, having stormed to six podiums in the last seven races – of which two were victories coming at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. Losail poses a whole new challenge however, although it is one that currently, the young Turkish star is taking in his stride.

Continuing to review his opening day at the Losail International Circuit, he said: “There are certain sectors where I’m still struggling, but I’m sure that we’ll improve further tomorrow thanks to the work of my team. I want to complete a solid Superpole so that I can start up front in Race 1, because I’m aiming for third place in the Championship.”

Find out what will happen on the first of two race days on Friday with the WorldSBK VideoPass!