Pramac details biggest “surprise” from Toprak Razgatlioglu’s public MotoGP debut
World Superbike star Razgatlioglu impressed on Tuesday at the Valencia MotoGP test
Pramac team boss Gino Borsoi says Toprak Razgatlioglu “surprised” with how he adapted to the Michelin front tyre during the Valencia MotoGP test.
The three-time World Superbike champion made his public MotoGP debut on Tuesday at the post-season Valencia test with the Pramac Yamaha squad.
Completing 53 laps on Yamaha’s new V4, Toprak Razgatlioglu was 18th out of 22 riders and just 1.294s off the best pace, while also heading experienced team-mates Jack Mille and Alex Rins.
Razgatlioglu was expected to struggle adapting his aggressive braking style on Pirelli rubber in World Superbikes to the Michelins in MotoGP.
And while he still needs time to adapt, Pramac boss Gino Borsoi was left impressed by the approach he took to braking already.
“Regarding Toprak: I’m quite surprised and impressed with his mindset and riding style,” he began.
“We all know he is incredible in the braking points. But he showed today he is able to change his riding style in a really short time.
“We gave him some, let’s say, tip and he is able to learn really fast.
“I’m happy. He’s a really kind guy, he’s easy to talk to. For me, right now, it’s not difficult to have a discussion, to have an exchange of points of view. He seems like a friend from a long time.
“From all of us at the beginning, we were aware of his style, and we said several times ‘please don’t brake so hard, please try to understand the front tyre’ because the difference in tyres is huge.
“But he understood from the beginning, and he adapted fast.
“He didn’t push, so this is something good for us. We didn’t see his real speed, but we saw his real character, his way of working. He’s already good for our MotoGP style.”
Razgatlioglu will be on track again on Wednesday at Valencia for a private test with Yamaha, where Pramac will try to further his adaptation to the Michelin front tyre.
“The plan for tomorrow is to start with a slightly different set-up to help him in a few areas where he is struggling with the front,” he added.
“He complained a little about rear grip, but at this point it’s a matter of how to use the rear tyre and the electronics. But where we can help him is with the front tyre.”
Razgatlioglu will not be able to speak about his experience on the Yamaha so far until the start of next year, as he remains under contract to BMW.
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Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
