BMW boss delivers bold Toprak Razgatlioglu warning to Ducati

BMW WorldSBK boss Shaun Muir has said that the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve is one that has been “kind” to both Toprak Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark in the past, as well as to BMW itself.

The Algarve venue, that will host the second round of the 2025 World Superbike Championship on 28–30 March, was the scene of the BMW M1000 RR’s first victory in 2021 in the hands of van der Mark, while it was the circuit where Razgatlioglu set the current consecutive wins record for WorldSBK at 13 last year.

In fact, since Race 1 of the 2022 edition of the Portimao WorldSBK race, Razgatlioglu has never finished lower than second. In seven of those nine races, Alvaro Bautista occupied the other top-two position, memorably in the pair’s 2023 battles where the Spanard out-dragged the then-Yamaha-mounted Razgatlioglu exiting the final corner after race-long battles in the Superpole Race and Race 2.

“Portimao is a circuit that suits our riders and complements the M1000 RR,” said ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team Principal Shaun Muir to WorldSBK.com.

“It has been kind to Toprak [Razgatlioglu] and Michael [van der Mark] over the years, with both securing podiums and wins here.

“The track’s flow and layout generally work well with our bike, making it a strong reference point for testing.

“Overall, it’s a fantastic circuit, and we love coming to the Algarve, where the weather is usually blue skies all day.”

Razgatlioglu will enter the Portuguese Round 42 points behind championship leader Nicolo Bulega, who won all three races at the season opener in Australia.

The Turkish rider labelled WorldSBK “almost a Ducati Cup” after the Australian Round in February, where Bulega led all-Ducati top-fives in both Sunday races, but was fastest and the only rider to the lap in the 1:39s at the recent Portimao test.