Jonathan Rea with “no words” for WorldSBK Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu
“He deserves it a lot, he’s had an incredible year…”
Having won his first WorldSBK crown with Yamaha back in 2021, Toprak Razgatlioglu moved to BMW for 2024 and this weekend has clinched the title in his first season with the German brand, which itself had not won a World Superbike Championship before this season.
Jonathan Rea has a particular relationship with Razgatlioglu, having been a part of the Turkish rider’s early development in WorldSBK when they were both a part of the Kawasaki structure, as well as having fought directly against him for the 2021 World Championship that ultimately became Razgatlioglu’s first title in the class.
“I’ve got no words for Toprak [Razgatlioglu],” Rea told WorldSBK.com following Razgatlioglu’s title-clinching second place in WorldSBK Race 1 at this weekend’s WorldSBK Spanish Round.
“When he came to Kawasaki in 2018, from Superstock— we always ate together, anyway, in the Puccetti hospitality.
“I have a real bond with him because I feel like the first days on the Superbike I was able to speed up his learning transition, I tried to help him as much as I could.
“Now he’s a two-times World Champion, he’s incredible.
“He deserves it a lot, he’s had an incredible year.”
Although Rea is the most-successful rider in WorldSBK history with six world titles and 119 wins, all of Rea’s World Championships were won with Kawasaki. He explained that Razgatlioglu winning titles with different manufacturers adds value to the BMW rider’s second crown.
“It makes it even more special, doing it with a different manufacturer — not many people are in that club,” Rea said.
“I hope he enjoys the moment, because this year’s been about him. His dominance has been incredible, his race wins and numbers have been fantastic. He’s definitely the man of 2024.”
Rea expanded on that point, explaining that changing teams and manufacturers presents more challenges to overcome than the obvious change in technical package.
“Everyone asks me about my titles, and it’s the first one that means the most, it’s always the most special,” Rea began.
“But, to change manufacturers and win in the first year, it’s also special.
“It’s also a different group of people, so it’s different feelings, you get to experience it with so many more people.
“His growth as a rider, and his popularity around the world has increased 10-fold, so I’m sure the whole world are behind him and congratulating him.”
Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
