Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) has been speaking for the first time since his Magny-Cours crash as he prepares to return to MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship action. The #54 was declared fit to compete in Free Practice 1 at MotorLand Aragon, and he will be reviewed after the opening session of the Tissot Aragon Round, as he returns to the track after missing the last six races and after his Championship lead was cut to just 13 points.

HOW HE’S FEELING: “Not an easy four weeks… I am fit, and my body is 100% ready”

In Free Practice 2 at Magny-Cours, Razgatlioglu crashed in difficult conditions at Turn 14. The 2021 Champion hit the barrier at Turn 15 and was taken to the medical centre and then hospital for further assessment. He was declared unfit with mild traumatic pneumothorax which ruled him out of France. While he was recovering, it was decided that he would miss WorldSBK’s first visit to Cremona to ensure he was in the best possible condition for the remainder of the season.

Providing an update on his physical condition, Razgatlioglu said: “For me, this wasn’t an easy four weeks. After the crash, I just watched the races and I just tried to come back quicker. Finally, we are here. Today wasn’t easy for me because I was just waiting, and I was feeling some stress; it looks like I was feeling more stress than 2021 when I was fighting for the world title! I’m fit and tomorrow morning I’ll be starting. I’m really happy about this and it looks like we’ll start riding the bike again. This is incredible for me. It’s not possible for me to say I’m 100% ready because it’s been four weeks since I rode a bike or did some training. I just rested.”

Despite not training, Razgatlioglu believes his body is ready to return to riding a bike: “Now I am fit, and my body is 100% but I didn’t do some training. Tomorrow, we have two free practice sessions and I think it’ll be easy to adapt. I’m just waiting for the first session as this won’t be easy for me after a long time without riding. I hope the feeling is good immediately.”

THE CRASH: Razgatlioglu reveals what happened

With this the first time Razgatlioglu has spoken since the crash, it was a chance to get some details on what happened. The 28-year-old was on his first flying lap in Free Practice 2 when he came off his M 1000 RR at Turn 14, sliding along the crass before hitting a barrier. He was able to walk away from the scene but was evaluated before being declared unfit for the remainder of the French Round and now he has revealed the cause of the crash.

“I think it was 100% my mistake,” admitted Razgatlioglu. “I saw I was on for a very good lap time and I just tried to brake later and I used a lot of front brake. I lost the front tyre. I remember everything and after the crash, I tried to change my position because I saw where I was going. I understood that my position wasn’t changing so I was just waiting. After I hit it, I tried to take a breath and I started walking. It looks like I thought nothing was broken, and everything looked fine, but then the lung had a problem. Before, I was feeling okay; some pain and it wasn’t easy to breathe. I thought my body was ready for Saturday in France but, when we went to the hospital, I got told I wasn’t ready. I’m just focused on this weekend.”

ONE GOAL IN MIND: “I need to win because I’ve never won in WorldSBK here…”

Razgatlioglu will be reviewed after Friday’s FP1 session to determine his participation in the remainder of the weekend, but he has already outlined his goals for the weekend after seeing his title lead whittled down to just 13 points ahead of Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati). Aragon is a venue the BMW star is yet to win at but explained he was targeting victory as he looks to put some space between himself and the #11.

Discussing his goals for the weekend, Razgatlioglu said: “This track isn’t easy for me. Even at Yamaha, I did a good job but never won here. With BMW, we won at many tracks so why not? I’m thinking about winning his race. I know it won’t be easy because of the new surface. I need a good setup immediately and also; a new surface can destroy the tyre. The bike setup is important and the tyres after 10 laps, we need to understand this. My target is to win. I’m fighting again for the podium. I need to win because I’ve never won in WorldSBK here.”

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