Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) gave an update on his injured finger after two rapid days at Portimao. ‘El Turco’ outlined how he is managing his injury, his takeaways from preseason testing and his targets for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship Round 1 in Australia. Toprak missed Jerez’s testing sessions which were largely limited by poor weather anyway, but he didn’t show a spot of rust on Day 1 at Portimao, finishing P1 with a 1’40.650s time. Day 2 was limited by rain, but Toprak placed similarly well, finishing P2, just 0.005s behind Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team).

DAY 2 TAKEAWAYS: Toprak still cautious about his injured finger

Less than a month since suffering the broken index finger in the offseason in early January, the defending champion still has the injury on his mind while on track. That didn’t stop him from wanting to dial in his bike on Day 2 at Portimao after being forced to miss Jerez’s test sessions due to the injury. Like many other riders both in Portimao and in Jerez have seen their opportunities to test out their bikes limited by rainy weather, particularly bad luck for teams like ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team who are introducing a new M 1000 RR for 2025.

“It was not a bad start, when I started, we had some technical problems, so I only did two laps initially as I was feeling the traction control a lot,” said Razgatlioglu. “Then, when I came back to the garage to fix that, it started raining and I couldn’t ride anymore. We decided that I was not going to ride in the rain because if I crash in the wet conditions with my finger this would be very dangerous for me.”

INDEX FINGER PROGNOSIS: “My hope is for it to be 100% by Phillip Island”

Ahead of Portimao’s testing, Toprak was seen with two sets of custom gloves to allow him to race while his broken right index finger recovers. One featured a conjoined slot for both his index and middle finger, however the set of gloves he was seen using throughout most of testing was a pair with an enlarged slot for his swollen right index finger.

“At the end of Day 1 I had some pain, but when I woke up on Day 2 I didn’t feel any pain. The finger still isn’t 100%, but I have some time before Philip Island, so I will be going back to physiotherapy to try to be able to move it more before the Australian Round,” said Razgatlioglu. “Generally, I feel like I am riding like I was before except I’m using my middle finger to brake. Once my finger is 100%, I will be riding more relaxed, because for example in right hand corners, I am not pushing as hard because I know if I crash, I will hit my hand on the ground, and I am worried about re-injuring it. This has been important for my season, pushing slowly, not immediately, I’m hoping my finger will improve, my hope is for it to be 100% by Phillip Island, this is my target now.”

PHILLIP ISLAND GOALS: Toprak’s to-do list and race weekend aspirations

Last year at Phillip Island, Toprak made his BMW debut and was immediately fast, although a tech issue in Race 2 dropped him out of contention. The reigning Champion has a year of experience under his belt on the bike and will be aiming to start 2025 with more podiums and, potentially wins, at a venue he’s only won once at in 17 attempts.

Razgatlioglu said: “We need to work on the rear grip still, because there especially, rear tyres get destroyed. We will need more tyre life, and I will try to be changing my style a bit for the fast corners there. My target is to win the first race to start the season strong. I am not too focused on my finger, now that I see I am racing like before I just need to improve a bit more, because at the moment I am still riding a bit worried about reinjuring my hand. By Phillip Island though, I think the finger will be ok and I can just focus on my job.”

Will Toprak return to Phillip Island 100% and begin his title defence campaign on a strong note? Follow the season with behind the scenes content, full race session videos and more with the WorldSBK VideoPass!