BMW reacts to “landmark” first WorldSBK title with “humble” Toprak Razgatlioglu

Toprak Razgatlioglu’s second WorldSBK title was a historic moment for BMW, as it marked the brand’s first world title in the premier division of production motorcycle racing.

Razgatlioglu was clearly a huge addition to BMW’s WorldSBK project for this year, but BMW Motorrad Motorsport director Marc Bongers explained that even the Bavarian brand didn’t expect the title in the first year.

“The target was, when we signed Toprak [Razgatlioglu] for a multi-year deal, we said ‘Okay, the target is to win a couple of races in the first year and take the championship the second year,’” said Bongers to WorldSBK.com.

“For sure nobody could have thought this scenario.”

Bongers continued, explaining the sacrifices that he and others at BMW have made to achieve success in WorldSBK.

“As you know this has been really emotional because we’ve had really tough areas, we all sacrifice a lot,” he said.

“I've been in this project for 10 years. Sometimes we are our own biggest opponents.

“I've carried this project through, we’ve had an impressive crew, an impressive team, and support from my family. It's hard, but it's nice...we are going to party and we will party big.”

Muir: “Every year we’ve improved”

As well as the first World Superbike title for BMW, Razgatlioglu’s 2024 success has been the first championship for the Shaun Muir Racing (SMR) squad that runs BMW’s factory WorldSBK team.

SMR began its WorldSBK journey with BMW in 2016, but switched to Aprilia in 2017 before going back to BMW machinery when it became the Bavarians’ factory outfit in 2019.

“It's unbelievable, I'm super proud of this moment,” said Shaun Muir, team principal for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team.

“It's been a long hard struggle, not without its problems. You’ve seen this emotion in the paddock and everybody we’ve put together in this team, it's not built overnight.

“When the project started in 2019, I think there's only 10 personnel who were with us from then to now.

“Every year we’ve improved and become a stronger, more credible team and that's taken us to where we are today.”

Razgatlioglu is a rider that stands out to Muir, who has worked with other champions such as Tom Sykes, and BSB champions like Tommy Hill and Josh Brookes.

“Toprak has a steely determination that I have never ever seen in another rider in all my years I've been running a race team,” Muir said.

“The determination that you've got not only to compete at the highest level but to only accept a win [...]. In his opinion, he's not at the top yet, he's got a lot more to do.”

Flasch: “Everybody likes heroes…”

While BMW Motorrad CEO Markus Flasch appreciated the importance of the title to BMW, he was especially appreciative of Razgatlioglu’s character.

“This is a landmark for BMW and we’re very excited that we achieved this,” BMW Motorrad CEO Markus Flasch told WorldSBK.com.

“I think we really deserved it. We’re supportive of motorsport in general as BMW, and motorsport is all about heroic stories.

“Everybody likes heroes and Toprak [Razgatlioglu] has shown what it means not just to be champion or a professional athlete, but also with his attitude and the way he shares the value of the brand, BMW are very happy about that.

“A friend of mine in the USA said there are different categories of riders, and Toprak is definitely an alien because he brings the sport to the next level. At the same time, he’s humble.

“The way he came back after his accident, it was amazing to me, and it shows how strong he is mentally.”

Gonschor: “The BMW is one of the two best bikes in the paddock”

BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s Technical Director, Chris Gonschor explained that the combination of Razgatlioglu and the the work done by BMW with its test team — which features Sylvain Guintoli and Bradley Smith as riders — has been a part of the key to the brand’s success.

“Becoming World Champion was the main target we wanted to achieve,” he said.

“We finished the mission we started a few years ago.

“Everybody has their own talent. With Toprak, it’s obvious that his is corner entry but the best thing, looking at his data which I like a lot as a technical director, is to see how he can manage the whole bike.

“This means tyre management, getting the exit prepared. The stopping is obvious but the rest of the riding style is quite unique.

“It’s clear he has a very clear feeling for the front tyre. He’s using the front tyre not only to stop, also for the apex situation, getting the exit.

“We learn a lot about how a human being can read feelings compared to what we read with data.

“I’d agree that the BMW is one of the two best bikes in the paddock. It was a long and tough way to get there.

“We started a lot of technical fine tuning last year working with the test team.

“We could collect lots more data and be better prepared for race weekends, leading to a situation where we could, immediately from FP1, concentrate on racing and not on collecting data or checking parts.”