BMW: Ready for take off

Signing Toprak Razgatlıoğlu as its lead rider has put immense pressure on BMW. After opening its cheque book, the German manufacturer now needs to deliver race wins and a title challenge

By Steve English

Photos by Steve English, David Clares/WorldSBK, BMW Motorrad

When rumors began to spread within the WorldSBK paddock that Toprak Razgatlıoğlu was speaking with BMW ahead of the 2024 season, the whispers were taken with a pinch of salt.

The Turkish superstar has never been conventional in his approach to racing, but this was widely seen as a step too far.

BMW had made progress with its M 1000 RR, but Razgatlıoğlu threatening to leave Yamaha—the brand with which he won the title in 2021—was surely nothing more than a negotiating tactic, right? Having established himself as a star in the making with Kawasaki, Razgatlıoğlu had flourished on the Yamaha.

The YZF-R1 was a proven package, but Razgatlıoğlu further elevated the pro- gramme. Race wins became the only acceptable target, and anything less was a disappointment. Moving to BMW, with only one victory in more than 10 seasons of racing, surely was the exact opposite of what the ex-world champion was all about.

Throughout his career, Razgatlıoğlu had always prioritized WorldSBK, regularly dismissing suggestions that he might go to MotoGP. With success, however, his confidence and self-belief skyrocketed. Gone is the shy rider whose English was clearly a barrier. In his place is one of the world’s most charismatic athletes.

Razgatlıoğlu brings a swashbuckling, never-say-die approach to his racing and a fun-loving personality to the paddock. He has always been well-suited to WorldSBK, but with a title in hand, the lure of MotoGP started to grow on him. Toprak’s ambition shifted to becoming the first rider to win both the WorldSBK and MotoGP titles.

Over time, the targets changed in Toprak’s mind. Legacy became more important to him. For Yamaha, the question was, “Why would he leave?” For Razgatlıoğlu, the question quickly became, “Why should I stay?” That feeling only accelerated when his MotoGP chances were dashed after testing the YZR-M1 in April.

“I wanted to go to MotoGP for 2024,” explained Razgatlıoğlu, “but when I tested the MotoGP bike, I knew there would be problems. They did not make changes to the bike that I wanted, and they gave me five sets of tyres for two days of testing. It was just a test to ride the bike, not to prove myself. Yamaha wanted Fabio Quartararo in MotoGP and me in Superbike.

“For me to stay with Yamaha in Superbike, it needed to be a good offer, but I told [manager] Kenan Sofuoğlu that we also had to look at the other teams, too. I tried to stay with Yamaha and we negotiated for 15 days, but they only offered me a good contract when they finally believed I might leave for BMW.”

The mindset shared by Sofuoğlu and Razgatlıoğlu has always set them apart from other riders in the paddock. Their intense battles on small-capacity bikes are the stuff of legends. Valentino Rossi has his academy in Italy, but Sofuoğlu has fostered an incredible spirit with the top Turkish racing talent.

Sofuoğlu has bred a single-minded focus into his riders: Winning is the only thing that matters, and finishing second means you simply have lost. That belief opened the door for BMW to sign Razgatlıoğlu. Rather than believing BMW was a dead-end, Toprak asked, “Why can’t I be the one to win on it?”

“When I signed with BMW, everyone wanted to talk about the money,” said Razgatlıoğlu. “I’m a rider, and if you are a very good rider, you take more money. What’s unusual about that? Nobody asked why I signed with BMW. For me, it wasn’t just about the money. It’s about the challenge. If I can win here, I can do something no rider has done before.

“Kawasaki immediately called Kenan, but I told him that I wasn’t interested because Kawasaki has already won eight titles. If I am the world champion for Kawasaki, is it special for them? I don’t think so. We also didn’t approach Ducati because the Panigale is the best bike, so it would be the same.

“BMW is a big brand that has never won a title,” added Toprak. “So I said to Kenan that no one believes BMW can fight for the title. Maybe with my style I can fight for the top three overall in 2024, and afterward, with some small improvements, maybe we can fight for the championship in 2025.

“I said that if we meet with BMW and both Kenan and I agree with the potential, we will sign with them. It’s a very big challenge, but I’m very happy to be here. Everyone knows the Ducati is the best bike, and it’s easy to be a champion with the best bike. I know with BMW that I will make the difference if we win.”

Mid-summer, BMW was still a questionable decision. The bike struggled for the first half of the campaign, but behind the poor performance, there were hints of success. Michael van der Mark was fast at the opening rounds before breaking his leg at Assen. The Dutchman was never able to show his full potential, but he had been the top BMW rider until the injury.

Scott Redding flashed potential at Most, but Garrett Gerloff’s performances at the end of the season showed the greatest progress. The ex-Yamaha man was becoming more confident on the BMW, and for the final four rounds of the year, he was consistently knocking on the door of the top six. Those strong end-of-season showings proved BMW was making progress.

During the winter, BMW flexed its financial muscles. Former champ Sylvain Guintoli was hired to lead a new test team. The Frenchman is credited with doing a lot of the hard yards that led to Joan Mir winning the 2020 MotoGP title for Suzuki. Bradley Smith also was brought in to test the bike. BMW has shown Razgatlıoğlu a willingness to do whatever it takes to win.

New regulations for 2024 allow teams to modify their crankshafts, and this could be the key to making the BMW more user-friendly. Rival engineers have said the M 1000 RR engine offers a very strong base. With changes to the crankshaft, potentially increasing mass by as much as 20%, BMW may have a winning combination.

During testing, Razgatlıoğlu has looked at ease. Phil Marron, Toprak’s crew chief, knows the key to success for his rider is being comfortable on the bike and in the garage. Familiar faces have moved from Yamaha, but BMW’s desire to move heaven and earth is a good feeling. The 27-year-old Turk fully expects to soon add to his victory tally.

“The BMW is faster on the straight for me, but the Ducati is still faster,” he said. “During the tests, I have been happy with my times in qualifying and race simulations. I’m very happy because, even though I know Phillip Island will be unique with harder tyres and new asphalt, I think we have shown we can be very fast already.

“The bike is good because I have never been faster at Portimão with a race tyre. It’s also very consistent; this is the most important thing. I still need to understand how to make the bike work with the qualifying tyre. I have too much grip. The bike chatters and does not give me the right feeling, but there have been so many positive things to understand during testing.”

WorldSBK is firmly in a golden age. BMW has two world champions on its official machines, and Redding and Gerloff may well challenge for race wins on the Benovo bikes. Yamaha has four world champions, and Ducati has the reigning Superbike and Supersport titlists amongst its six-rider stable. It is difficult to think of a more competitive time for the series.

“During the tests, we have seen many fast lap times,” said Razgatlıoğlu. “There will be a lot of fighting this year. We don’t know for sure how the new rules will be, but if Alvaro can ride alone and win, it isn’t good. I don’t understand the new rules because there isn’t a balance. Alvaro will have more weight on the Ducati, but he will also have more rpm.”

The 2024 calendar has been much discussed, but many have overlooked the locations of the opening rounds. Phillip Island and Catalunya are two of the toughest tracks for rear tyre consumption. The challenge is immense because both tracks have lots of fast corners that generate tremendous heat and wear.

Performances at Phillip Island rarely translate to the rest of the season: Eugene Laverty winning on a Suzuki, the podium split by 10ths of a second, and big groups fighting for victory. These are hallmarks of racing on the Island, but they often are an anomaly. And with Catalunya next, rather than later in the season, the opening six races might not show a full form guide.

“We need to see how the season starts,” said Razgatlıoğlu. “Phillip Island is a very difficult track to understand the level, but Catalunya is like this, too. I don’t expect a lot for these two rounds, but if we can have good results, it will surprise people. I spent four years with Yamaha, and we had many wins and podiums. I want the same with BMW.”