“Finally able to fight” - Toprak Razgatlioglu no longer “alone” in Aragon MotoGP
MotoGP rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu left Aragon empty-handed after a late fall, but was no longer "riding alone" and set the tenth fastest race lap.
Toprak Razgatlioglu left the Aragon MotoGP empty-handed after a late crash from 15th place.
However, the Pramac Yamaha rookie was pleased to have finally been able to put up a fight after several rounds spent “riding alone”.
Indeed, until his front tyre performance dropped, Razgatlioglu felt he might have been in contention for a maiden MotoGP top ten.
“For me, it was a positive weekend, especially because in Sunday's race, even though we didn't have a fantastic start, we were able to catch the guys ahead,” Razgatlioglu said.
“After a few laps I found my rhythm and I was feeling really good on the bike.”
The reigning WorldSBK champion climbed quickly from 21st on the grid to 15th, then passed Luca Marini’s Honda on lap 16 of 23.
However, front tyre wear made Razgatlioglu’s aggressive braking style increasingly difficult to manage.
Marini repassed Razgatlioglu, with Johann Zarco then closing on the Turkish rider when he fell under braking for Turn 12 on the penultimate lap.
“Unfortunately, towards the end the front tyre started to drop, and it became difficult to keep the same pace,” he said.
“I was running wide in almost every corner because the bike was locking the front and I couldn't stop it properly.
“I tried to keep pushing at the same pace, but it was impossible, and eventually I crashed.”
"Maybe even 10th"
Earlier, Razgatlioglu set what would be the tenth-fastest lap of the grand prix and the best by a Yamaha rider.
“Without losing the front [grip], I think I could have finished around 12th or 11th, maybe even 10th,” he said.
For comparison, Marini went on to finish 3.4s behind tenth-placed Brad Binder.
“But we learned something again this weekend," Razgatlioglu added.
"We were finally able to fight with riders from different manufacturers, whereas before we were mostly riding alone.
“This is a really positive step for me.
“Of course I'm disappointed with how the last race ended because normally I don't make this kind of mistakes, but we take the positives and look forward to the next race.”
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.
