As far as starting a new chapter with a different manufacturer, things don’t get much better than Toprak Razgatlioglu’s (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) new journey with BMW. He’s the first rider to three wins in a season where many doubted if he’d be a Championship contender, whilst he’s just six points away from top spot – answering the critics in true Toprak style on the track. A podium in just his second race for the manufacturer followed by three wins in the last six races, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers said that they’re “going to go for it” in terms of a Championship charge immediately after Race 2, whereas technical director Chris Gonschor spoke of the developments of the project from all aspects and how it feels to be part of it right now.
“RACE 2 WAS THE BEST PART OF THE WEEKEND… SPECIAL TIMES” – Gonschor on Toprak’s third win
“Race 2 was the best part of the weekend but anyway, it was a good weekend,” began Gonschor as the teams packed away from the Pirelli Dutch Round. “Toprak showed a good performance on the SC0 tyre, and he managed to do it perfectly until the end of the race. The Superpole Race was a gamble for everybody, as everyone went with the SCQ but nobody had experience with it. So it was a hard race for Toprak and for us to watch, but it is very good to see how strong he came back in Race 2 and finish an incredible race.”
Talking about how the position of the project now and them being regular winners and contenders, he continued: “It is special times with special focus for all of our riders and bikes. OK, we don’t have all four of our riders at the front right now but the performance from Mikey in Race 2 showed how hard we can fight and work with the bike, which is the most important thing for me as an engineer. Toprak managed it from his point of view from the lead and then from sixth to recover by staying calm. Mikey was fighting like the good old Mikey and we saw today why he was a race winner in the past, and I am sure he will come back to the podium soon.”
“ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN” – title tilt talks after three rounds
Experessing how talk of a Championship challenge feels following on from Bongers’ comments in pitlane, Gonschor echoed the sentiment and wants it to become normal: “It feels good there is nothing more to say. It shows that the work we do is going in the right direction, and now we have already proved it in the second round. Even during winter testing at Jerez and Portimao, we have been competitive at five tracks now. For sure, it is a long season, and anything can happen, but we will try and fight.”
Speaking personally about how it makes him feel, having been in BMW for his entire working life as well as in the World Superbike team’s official entry as chassis engineer in their first years, he stated: “It feels good because, as I have said, it is passion and everything that I develop with the ladies and gents in Munich makes me happy. It is a technical solution for our rider that they request and that we deliver, so if the rider is happy, we are happy.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com