Toprak Razgatlioglu returned to winning ways in the WorldSBK Championship this weekend with an all-out win at Misano and made headlines in time with possible MotoGP openings at Yamaha.
Razgatlioglu is his seventh podium finish of the season of nine races, but the first time he has made it to the top step, coupled with two second places from Race 1 and the Superpole race, Razgatlioglu is now leading the chase for Jonathan Rea at 20 Points ahead of the former stable mates.
Razgatlioglu’s success ends a particularly frustrating victory drought in which he led several races this year only to finish second or third.
In the second race, however, Razgatlioglu was able to regroup after an early misstep before taking the lead from double race winner Michael Ruben Rinaldi on lap eight before bringing the hammer home. A first win of the year for Yamaha too, Razgatlioglu is relieved to get him out of the way.
“I’m really happy because this weekend we worked really hard to build a good bike. Two races, second place in both – I say, ok, last race, now I have to win! Because too much second, second, second, second, I need the first win! I’m so happy because I drive stress-free, I enjoyed it
Could Toprak Razgatlioglu replace Valentino Rossi for MotoGP 2022?
Razgatlioglu’s return to the winners’ circle comes at a potentially crucial point in his career amid growing speculation that he could be one of the riders in the race for a Yamaha MotoGP ride in 2022.
Much depends on whether Rossi sees the expectation of his retirement at the end of the season, although a decision will likely not be made public until August or September.
Rossi’s ride isn’t the only potential seat to be won, however, after Yamaha factory rider Maverick Vinales gave the signal for alternative arrangements based on comments from the MotoGP race in Catalonia from 2023, a move leading to a change in his current deals.
However, if a place in the Yamaha folder does clear then there is no obvious Moto2 / 3 target that Yamaha has an interest in, although Petronas SRT would undoubtedly be interested in bringing in either Xavi Vierge or Jake Dixon, even if neither of them enjoy particularly sparkling seasons.
In contrast, Razgatlioglu has firmly established itself as Yamaha’s WorldSBK talisman on an R1 that many suspect may not ultimately be as competitive as the Kawasaki and Ducati contingent it mixes with, like the new teammate’s fights Andrea Locatelli show.
With his active driving style and dedicated training program overseen by WorldSSP legend Kenan Sofuoglu, who often refers to him as a rider capable of bridging the increasingly rare bridge from WorldSBK to MotoGP, Razgatlioglu has had one since signing Deals of a shot in the premier class spoken at Yamaha in 2019.
He’s always slammed the question away, however, and that mantra came back up this weekend when he told GPOne.com, “Will I be replacing him at Petronas? I don’t know, I’m happy here in Superbike, ”while Sofuoglu previously said he would only consider MotoGP if he won WorldSBK first.
However, if an offer comes, it will become increasingly difficult to find a position before the end of the 2021 WorldSBK season and with MotoGP, and all the more so if you did not advance through Moto3 and Moto2, Razgatlioglu can afford to get one Opportunity to wait wait again.