Toprak Razgatlioglu Passed Fit for WSBK Return
Toprak Razgatlioglu has officially been declared fit for his World Superbike return at Aragon
Returning in the nick of time, World Superbike series leader Toprak Razgatlioglu will take part in the Aragon round as he looks to re-establish his dominance at the head of the standings.
Prior to Magny-Cours Razgatlioglu had built a lead that looked untouchable, but an injury in free practice two saw him ruled out of action, before missing the entire Cremona round as well.
As a result, closest challenger Nicolo Bulega has closed the gap to just 13 points, while defending two-time champion Alvaro Bautista has also reduced his deficit to 82 points with a total of nine races (three rounds) remaining including this weekend’s Aragon event.
Detailing his struggles in the last four weeks after having to watch from the sidelines, 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 in 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.”
One thing is clear for Razgatlioglu despite having missed the last six races, and that’s to return to the winner's circle at Aragon, however, the Spanish venue has been a tough one for him in the past.
“This track isn’t easy for me,” added the factory BMW rider. “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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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
