Denning: Toprak is without doubt the most talented rider I’ve worked with

With just one round of the 2021 WorldSBK championship left and a 30 point advantage in his favour, Toprak Razgatlioglu is on the verge of making history. 

The Pata Yamaha rider, who has won a stunning 13 races so far this season - two more than title rival Jonathan Rea, has a chance to become the first ever Turkish WorldSBK champion at next month’s season finale in Indonesia. 

With just 62 points left to play for, Razgatlioglu is in a commanding position to also become the first rider to beat Rea since the Northern Irishman joined Kawasaki in 2015. 

Following last weekend’s 12th round in San Juan, a round in which Razgatlioglu won two out of the three races, Pata Yamaha Team Principal, Paul Denning, called him ‘the most talented rider’ he’s worked with. 

Denning said: "Toprak is without doubt, as a raw talent, the most talented rider I’ve personally ever worked with and possibly that should be no surprise because he’s probably the most raw-talented rider there is in any series today. 

"He’s played a big part of that and he’s still growing in experience and growing in how to manage situations and when to keep his aggression under control but he’s not making any mistakes despite the way he rides."

For Kawasaki and Rea, it’s been a difficult few rounds despite many podiums and even a few wins, as Razgatlioglu and Scott Redding have bettered the six-time world champion more often than not, while crashes have also played a huge role. 

However, Kawasaki Team Manager, Guim Roda, believes the team has failed to give Rea the package he needed in certain events. 

Speaking about the season so far and his hopes for the final round in Indonesia, Roda added: "I think we suffered a lot with a little bit of self-confidence on the team’s side, and honestly, we did not work 100% in some races this year and this penalised us at the end. 

"I have to say sorry to Jonny because he’s a great rider. You always keep learning. Yamaha and Toprak are doing a good job so he’s a good rider to fight with. 

"Redding has done a very good job. We just need to try to understand how much we can always take our full gas potential and keep trying.”

"30 points is not an easy distance but in racing, anything can happen. Our target is to keep pushing and try to hope other riders become competitive too. 

"There’s a lot of fighting to do. Scott is so strong, there are young riders coming, Alex [ Lowes] will be 100% fit in Indonesia. Many things can happen so let’s see."