Razgatlioglu eyeing ‘official Kawasaki’ after podium glory

Toprak Razgtalioglu made another convincing pitch towards earning himself a factory-supported Kawasaki ride in 2020 with a second podium in as many events at Jerez.

The Turkish rider continued his sharp rise in recent form with another battling performance from a midfield starting position to finish fifth in race one and seventh in the Superpole Race.

Starting on row three in race two, Puccetti Kawasaki’s Razgatlioglu used his customary aggressive style over the opening few laps to haul himself into third place, briefly battling for the lead before settling for the position.

With his strongest points haul of the 2019 season thus far lifting him to seventh overall, Razgatlioglu has also comfortably out-scored factory KRT rider Leon Haslam for the past two rounds, raising speculation he could be lined up to replace him for the 2020 season.

Though coy about the possibility of a direct move to KRT or whether he could receive support through a team like Puccetti, Razgatlioglu – who is endorsed by multiple World Supersport Champion Kenan Sofuoglu - says ‘official’ is what he wants next year.

“This season I would wanted more podiums, but it is not easy… who knows, next season maybe KRT.”

Asked whether he’d be happy to stay with Puccetti, he responded ‘better official, we’ll see…’

It is understood Razgatlioglu’s personal affiliation with Red Bull presents an issue for KRT with its prominent Monster branding.

However, together with Razgatlioglu’s substantial backing from his native Turkey, his recent successes have transformed him one of the key figures in the evolving 2020 rider market amongst all manufacturers.