Yamaha won't allow Toprak Razgatlioglu to test with BMW until 2024

Kenan Sofuoglu says Yamaha ‘hasn’t allowed us to start testing early’, and that 2021 WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu will have to wait until after this season.

Robert Jones

02 Jun 2023

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Yamaha World Superbike Catalunya 2023

Again making all the headlines on day-one of the Misano WorldSBK round, and not because he was fastest in FP1, Razgatlioglu’s switch to BMW has been heavily discussed by other riders and Yamaha themselves.

The 2021 world champion, who signed a two-year deal with the German manufacturer 11 days ago, won’t be able to test the M 1000 RR until 2024, despite holding out hope that Yamaha would allow him to do so prior to the calendar year ending.

Speaking to WorldSBK.com, Sofuoglu said: "Yamaha hasn't allowed us to start early testing. In the WorldSBK paddock, normally every team allows riders after the final race, but Yamaha didn’t give us the green light to jump on the bike after the final race.

"Toprak is very hungry to jump on the BMW. I think the team will prepare a very good testing programme for Toprak.

"I don’t think it will take a long time for Toprak to understand the bike and start to have good results.

"Maybe this time next year, I guess, we will have the first podium. Winning, we have to see, but I can tell you Toprak will start with BMW with a podium opportunity. Maybe winning but we’ll have to see later. I’m sure about it."

Yet to win, or even come close to winning a WorldSBK title, BMW have laid out their intentions more than ever with the signing of Razgatlioglu.

The addition of Scott Redding was seen as a big move and one that would have brought much more success than it has, however, with Razgatlioglu being in the form of his life, the German brand could not have signed a better rider for their future.

But before that, Razgatlioglu is hoping to start winning more races with Yamaha after seeing Alvaro Bautista dominate the opening four rounds of 2023.

Starting with Misano which should be his best chance yet at dethroning the Spaniard, Razgatlioglu should be a contender in all three races, something Sofuoglu also believes will be the case.

"We want to win the championship, but we have to be realistic," added the former five-time WorldSSP champion.

"Bautista is too strong. Personally, I never see it as Ducati being too good because Bautista is winning.

"I think, together, they are very good. Bautista is the one rider using the Ducati like he needs to. This package is too strong together and it looks like it’ll be difficult to beat them.

"I am very confident that there are some races Toprak will be very strong and beat Bautista [this season]. This could be at Misano. This could be much more likely at Donington and Imola.

Toprak Razgatlioglu , Indonesian WorldSBK, 4 March

"There are a few races where Bautista will have a hard time. Generally, if you look at the whole season, Bautista can win the Championship, but I think there are a lot of races that we can win."

Prior to Razgatlioglu joining BMW, remaining with Yamaha in WorldSBK or in MotoGP was seen as the most likely option.

Ahead of this weekend’s Misano round, Razgatlioglu spoke about the four seasons he’s spent with Yamaha, and even hinted at a return to the Japanese manufacturer in the future.

Razgatlioglu stated: "It’s been a very long four seasons and also very good memories with Yamaha. It’s not easy to leave as I enjoyed working with this team.

"Sometimes, you need a new challenge and new motivation. I said if I stayed in WorldSBK, I needed a new challenge now. I’ve signed for a new team. I’m happy to stay in the WorldSBK paddock and now I go for a new challenge.

"It wasn’t easy. I was thinking about the MotoGP paddock and there weren’t many seats next year. The problem after four years is that it’s not easy to leave Yamaha. Maybe, in the future, we’ll come back together again.

"I’m feeling more motivated because I listen to some people say that ‘it’s not a winning bike, it’s not easy and no good results etc’. This is possibly a winning bike. This is a new dream for me and a big new challenge. It’s not easy.

"This is a big dream for Kenan and for me. Maybe next year and also 2025, we don’t know, we are fighting for the Championship. I hope we are winning it. This is a big dream."