Sofuoglu: ‘I think BMW is the one that can beat Ducati, we can be champions’

Razgatlioglu has spent the last two seasons since his title win producing stunning performances in order to challenge two-time WorldSBK champion Alvaro Bautista.

But despite his absolute best efforts, Razgatlioglu has not had the machinery to beat Bautista, who instead completed the most dominant season off all-time in 2023.

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Now a BMW rider, his mentor Sofuoglu believes he has what it takes to challenge Bautista, even though Razgatlioglu is jumping aboard a bike that has not been as competitive as the Yamaha.

The reason for such excitement is down to BMW’s continued efforts to invest in their WorldSBK project.

“When I see in this place how excited everybody is, how they can’t wait to start the season, I think that’s what we need”, said Sofuoglu at the BMW launch event. “I believe that we needed this, especially from Toprak’s side. We had four great seasons with Yamaha, but Toprak needed a new challenge”.

“Toprak is a young and fresh boy. Whatever bike he sits on, I believe he will adapt to it. 

“The BMW is a very different bike, and many people have some ideas about BMW. We have a different idea about BMW.”

In terms of the expectations this season, Sofuoglu didn’t want to say too much when it came to winning the title, although he does believe that will happen in the next two years.

Sofuoglu added: “We believe we will be even stronger on this bike. We believe we will give a hard time to Bautista with this bike, he’s been very strong these last two seasons. 

“I think BMW is the one that can beat Ducati; maybe not immediately, but in the end, I believe we can be Champions with BMW.”