Razgatlioglu: WorldSBK championship ‘has always been my dream, it’s incredible’
Toprak Razgatlioglu is the new 2021 WorldSBK champion after becoming the first rider to beat Jonathan Rea since 2015.
Razgatlioglu, who started the first of two Sunday races 30 points clear of Rea, finished second behind the Kawasaki rider after yet another titanic battle.
Both riders exchanged the lead on several occasions, while Ducati’s Scott Redding was also in contention throughout.
Although Rea cut the Yamaha rider’s points advantage by five - down to 25 which is the exact number for a race win, Razgatlioglu could not be caught should Rea have won race two due to winning more feature races.
Razgatlioglu’s title win sees him become Turkey's first ever WorldSBK champion, while he joins mentor Kenan Sofuoglu in winning a world title following the five WorldSSP championships Sofuoglu claimed in his illustrious career.
Throughout the 2021 season Razgatlioglu said winning the WorldSBK title was ‘always my dream’ despite big interest from MotoGP teams for 2022.
Razgatlioglu received significant interest from RNF Yamaha - formerly known as Petronas Yamaha - but the 24 year-old decided to stay on with Pata Yamaha until the end of 2023 to ensure he could win the title had he failed to win it today.
That’s not to say Razgalioglu can’t leave for MotoGP as soon as the end of 2022, a season that he will no doubt start as the favourite to repeat his 2021 success.
Speaking after his first world title, Razgatlioglu added: "First, I want to say thank you to my family and to Kenan Sofuoglu because we are a big family. Also, thanks to my team, they did an incredible job this year.
"Sometimes we crashed, sometimes we had good races and finally we are here. I’m really happy.
"It’s a special day for me today because this championship is for my dad. It has always been my dream. He’s not here anymore, he passed away, but I feel he is watching.
"I’m really happy. It’s an incredible day for me and we are World Champion. Thanks to everyone!"
