WorldSBK Champion Threatens to Quit Over Ducati Dominance
Reigning WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu has claimed he could walk away from the class if Ducati’s dominance continues
BMW rider Toprak Razgatlioglu has threatened to quit WorldSBK over Ducati’s apparent dominance, after calling the class the ‘Ducati Cup’.
Not holding back in his assessment of where WorldSBK racing is at currently, the two-time Superbike champion is no stranger to fighting against the Italian brand and has spent most of his top-flight career battling against the likes of Scott Redding, Alvaro Bautista and more recently Nicolo Bulega.
Those three riders, all aboard Panigale V4 R machines again in 2025, were consistently at the front of the field during last weekend’s season-opener at Phillip Island, while fellow Ducati riders, Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Iannone, also stood out by achieving podiums during Sunday’s double-header.
But what we must remember is that Bulega was very strong at Phillip Island last season as was Iannone, while two-time world champion Bautista has won several times at the Australian circuit, therefore it was not a huge surprise to see Ducati victorious down under.
It’s also worth noting that last weekend was the first round of the year, and while Ducati was the brand to beat, seeing so many of its riders at the front is unlikely to be a consistent theme going forward.
But that did very little to calm the world champion down, as he admitted the level of dominance shown was not fun for people watching at home.
“Last year, yes, [Nicolo] Bulega [was strong], this year I’m not surprised that he is still fast and Alvaro [Bautista] also not bad,” Razgatlioglu told WorldSBK.com after Race 2. “But, this year, all Ducatis are on the front, this is not normal, [it’s] why I say Superbike is almost like a ‘Ducati Cup’.
“I hope to not continue like this because everyone is not enjoying it. If Superbike continues like this in the future, I’m not thinking about racing here anymore.”
Razgatlioglu’s frustrations in Australia were so evident that the two-time world champion also punched his windscreen in frustration after retiring from the final race of the weekend with a technical issue.
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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.
