Yamaha: Portimao was ‘the best riding we’ve ever seen from Toprak’

Strange to talk so highly of a rider who was unable to win any of the three races at Portimao? That’s the complete opposite of what’s taken place as Razgatlioglu showed the entire motorcycle community how good he is.

Race 1 was a very strong performance from the Yamaha rider, however, it was the double-header on Sunday where Razgatlioglu took his riding to a new level.

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Alvaro Bautista had the strongest package, that’s without question, while his form also played a huge role in him winning all three races.

But when analysing the Superpole Race and Race 2, it’s clear that Razgatlioglu was the best rider from both races.

Consistently on the limit, defending his position with stunning late-braking moves and finding huge chunks of time on the world champion in sections of the track where the most risk needed to be taken, Razgatlioglu delivered two truly special performances.

And it didn’t go unnoticed as Dosoli was full of praise when talking to WorldSBK.com: “It has been a great weekend for Yamaha with three victories and several podiums spread between the three classes. 

“The late September sunshine brought a bumper crowd to Portimao and they witnessed one of the best races in modern motorsport history. It has been impressive to see over 50,000 spectators really involved in the fight between Alvaro and Toprak. 

“In general, the R1 worked well in Portimao, with a very good performance on ‘flying laps’ and over the long races. 

“It was a fantastic result in the Superpole Race with three R1s in the top four positions. This was thanks to the bike’s characteristics, as well as the hard work done by the crews and especially by our riders.”

When delving deeper into the performance of Razgatlioglu, the Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager had no doubt about who was the best rider.

“Toprak gave it all for the whole weekend, especially on Sunday and he should have no regrets. 

“I feel that was the best riding we’ve ever seen from Toprak. He didn’t make any mistakes in any of the three races, he used the full potential of his R1 on every single lap, and he was clearly the best rider on the track. 

“He missed out on the victory only due to the difficulties in sector four, mainly the corner speed and the acceleration out of it. 

“Every single lap he succeeded in recovering the time lost in the last sector with an amazing performance in the other three sectors, every overtake was a masterclass! 

“Race 2 was so intense for everybody and in parc ferme nobody could mask their emotions. Tears were seen on the faces of almost all the people in blue, rider included. We’ll never forget this race, for sure it was the best I’ve ever seen in my life.”