ToprakRazgatlioglu

Toprak Razgatlioglu heads into 2025 as the reigning World Champion, after taking the 2024 title in record-breaking fashion. 13 race wins in a row broke the record for consecutive victories, while he was on the podium in 27 out of his 30 races – and claimed the title despite missing two rounds and six races. He sports the #1 on his M 1000 RR for 2025, but will he be able to do what he couldn’t in 2022 and defend the title with the #1?

BMW (2024-)

‘El Turco’ made a bombshell move to German manufacturer BMW for the 2024 campaign, with the announcement in the spring of 2023 causing shockwaves throughout the WorldSBK paddock. It was a move that paid off handsomely for the two-time Champion, winning 18 races and beating Nicolo Bulega to the crown despite it heading to a final-round showdown.

Yamaha (2020-2023)

Razgatlioglu spent four years with Japanese manufacturer Yamaha, claiming the 2021 title on the R1 machine and fighting for victory in all four seasons with Yamaha. He took 37 wins for Yamaha in his team there, including 13 in his title-winning season and 14 the year after, but it wasn’t enough to retain the title as Alvaro Bautista won the Championship. 33 podiums out of 36 came in 2023, including seven wins, but the Turkish star opted to move to BMW for 2024.

Kawasaki (2018-2019)

Razgatlioglu’s WorldSBK debut came on Independent Kawasaki machinery and he showcased his talent and potential right from the start. Two podiums in 2018 – at Donington Park and the Circuito San Juan Villicum – put him in the spotlight before a race-winning campaign in 2019. Both wins came at Magny-Cours, in Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race, despite starting from 16^th on the grid; he also took 11 further podiums in his second season.

Before WorldSBK

The two-time Champion has grown up inside the WorldSBK paddock, having competed in both SKT600 and STK1000. In 2014, he took part in one STK600 race and won at Magny-Cours, before winning the title a year later with five wins in seven races. A move to STK1000 followed and fifth in 2016 was backed up with second in 2017 with three wins in eight races, missing out on the title to Michael Rinaldi by just eight points.