Razgatlioglu not waiting for ‘Bautista to crash’, needs ‘three wins’

With just six races to go and an 82-point deficit to Alvaro Bautista, reigning WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu knows that only race wins can help save his title defence.

Robert Jones

10 Nov 2022

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Yamaha World Superbike San Juan

Even if Razgatlioglu wins the remaining six races he will need the current WorldSBK series leader to falter in a major way.

The Yamaha rider, who has 11 wins on the year so far, has been just as good as last season if not better at times.

However, Razgatlioglu has had to exceed the limit on more occasions due to the pressure applied by Bautista which is why more mistakes have crept in.

Now with a slim chance of making it back-to-back titles, Razgatlioglu is focused solely on trying to win races, starting with a hat-trick in Mandalika this weekend.

"I’m very happy to come back here because I have good motivation and good memories from last year when we took the title; it was an unbelievable day," added Razgatlioglu.

"Now, we come back for the win as the Championship isn’t easy for me. We’ll just focus on doing a good race.

"For the Championship, we have a big gap but I’m not waiting for Bautista to crash. My goal is to try for three wins.

"There’s no pressure or stress for me; maybe for Alvaro, it’s starting as he is close to the Championship. In my opinion, he won’t take risks this weekend."

No nerves for Bautista as he closes in on maiden WorldSBK title

Alvaro Bautista, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea, Argentinian WorldSBK Superpole race, 23 October — Alvaro Bautista, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea, Argentinian…

Despite Razgatlioglu hinting at the pressure being on Bautista to close out the championship, the Ducati’s rider’s lead has left him feeling very comfortable about his chances.

Bautista needs to outscore Razgatlioglu by 17 points to wrap up the championship this weekend, if not it will go down to the season-finale at Phillip Island.

The former MotoGP rider added: "Sincerely, I don’t feel nervous. We have to work like we did at San Juan. We’ll need to put some rubber on the track too; I think it will be a busy weekend for me. I don’t have time to think about the Championship or match-point; I think it’s better to think about the real problems we have and to work as best as possible.

"In Valencia, Ducati won the Riders’ Championship in MotoGP so it’d be nice to make it a double. It doesn’t matter whether it’s here or Australia, the important thing is that we get it."