World Superbike title leader Toprak Razgatlioglu taking recovery 'step-by-step' after being ruled out of Italian round through injury
World Superbike Championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu says he is adopting a ‘step-by-step’ approach to his recovery after being ruled out of this weekend’s ninth round at Cremona in Italy.
The factory BMW rider missed all three races at Magny-Cours in France earlier this month after suffering a huge crash in free practice.
Ulsterman Jonathan Rea, 11th in the championship, is also absent this weekend to allow his injured right thumb to heal after the six-time world champion crashed in the opening race at Magny-Cours.
Razgatlioglu had won a record 13 races in a row to establish a title lead of 92 points over Ducati’s Nicolo Bulega ahead of the incident-filled French round two weeks ago.
However, World Supersport champion and Superbike rookie Bulega clinched a double in France to slash Razgatlioglu’s advantage to 55 points and the Italian could conceivably top the championship standings with a strong weekend in Italy.
Razgatlioglu, who won the title for the first time in 2021 with Yamaha, hopes to return at Motorland Aragon in Spain for the 10th round next weekend, but has stressed the need to make a ‘full recovery’ after sustaining a collapsed lung in his crash in France.
“I would have loved to be back on track in Cremona, but the recovery of the mild pneumothorax is taking longer than I initially hoped,” said Razgatlioglu, whose crew chief is Northern Ireland man Phil Marron.
“It’s important that I make a full recovery, and my goal now is to return at the next race weekend at Motorland Aragon.
“But we need to wait and take it step by step. One thing is certain: as soon as possible and when my health allows, I will re-join the championship fight.
“I’ll be rooting for my team at Cremona, and I hope to see BMW at the front and on the podium. A big thanks to everyone who’s been supporting me through this tough time.”
Razgatlioglu’s ride in the factory BMW team has been taken over by German Markus Reiterberger, who partners regular rider Michael van der Mark on the M1000RR machines.
Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport, said Razgatlioglu would only return to action ‘when it is possible without health risks’.
“It’s been crazy weeks for sure. When we got the final answer that he’s unfit, it was difficult for the whole team and for Toprak,” said Blusch.
“As long as the pneumothorax is there, Toprak is still not allowed to race. Obviously, I think we all know that riders, if they have pain, they go through it and they don’t have any problems to push.
“On that point, I would say it’s really tricky because he doesn’t have a lot of pain. In his mind, he’s ready to race.
“All the doctors agreed on that point that it’s too dangerous to ride. This is the biggest problem at the moment on our side.
“We’re really hoping for Aragon but it’s too early to say anything at the moment.
“For us, we are hoping that he's there and we are pushing 100%. But time will tell. The title fight will be a challenge in the end.
“We were in a good situation coming to Magny-Cours. Everything changed now, but in the end, the last race is still way up in the air, and we have to wait for it.”