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By winning the 2015 Stock600 title, Toprak Razgatlioglu made trouble for more than one staff member. In fact, the young Turkish rider first frightened his rivals, intimidated by his aggressive and spectacular riding style, and then he forced journalists and commentators to write and pronounce a surname that proved to be a true tongue twister, surpassed only (for now) by Thai rider Nakarin Atiratphuvapat’s surname who, in any case, still has not won a race in Moto3.
Combative and fierce in the saddle, polite and quiet off the track. Wherever “Razga” goes, his mentor Kenan Sofuoglu follows his every move: “Sofuoglu taught me everything I needed to know in order to command respect in this wonderful and competitive environment – Toprak admits – where attention to every detail is fundamental these days. The commitment, the discipline, faith and the awareness that you can never give up are all values that I learned directly from Kenan who has given and continues to give heart and soul for this sport.”
Seeing them train together is a true show: “Especially in the winter, Sofuoglu and I compete with one another on the small 300 bikes – he continues – and we don’t pull any punches. Every lap turns out to be a duel to the death, but professional and clean, just like he taught me.”
Your duel with Rinaldi in Superstock 1000 was just as exciting…
“Rinaldi deservedly won on his Ducati. I gave it everything I could with my Kawasaki, but I was lacking just a pinch of luck. If I hadn’t hurt myself maybe it would have been different, but sometimes races and championships end like that.”
Now you are looking ahead, skipping the category that gave your mentor Sofuoglu so much…
“To be honest, I never liked the 600. In fact, if I really must tell all, I hate it (laughing). That is why, after winning the Stock600 title, I decided to jump immediately to Superstock 1000: I wanted to ride bikes with higher displacement, more powerful, on which I can express my spectacular riding style, based on the drifting in and out of turns. I need a lot of horsepower and I did not want to waste time in Supersport.”
And yet, Sofuoglu built up a fortune with the 600…
“Sofuoglu is an idol for me, but the only thing Kenan and I do not agree on is bike size. In Supersport he has always been number 1, but he struggled in Superbike, unlike me (I love them), Sofuoglu does not like the 1000 at all. He found his ideal size with the 600.”
Did you like the Superbike in the Portimão test?
“Very much! I immediately noticed the differences between it and the Stock1000 bike. The Superbike impressed me most of all with its braking power and the electronics management, particularly advanced and high performance. There will be a lot to learn and a lot of work for me to do and team Puccetti will give me the best possible support, as they always have since I began racing factory derivatives.”
Turning laps behind Rea in Portugal, what did you figure out?
“Following him, I learned the ideal lines. By leading the way, Johnny showed me the best and fastest trajectories that can be followed thanks to the highly sophisticated electronics. Rea took me under his wing almost as if I were his godson. He is crazy about me and it is an honour that he traced the ideal lines of a three-time World Champion for me.”
What goal have you set for yourself for this season?
“I have a direct contract with Kawasaki for two years. In 2018 it won’t be easy with all those factory bikes on the track, but I will give it my all. Let’s say that in the first part of the season, I’ll have to learn from every new situation that may come up. From mid-season on, I could even set my sights on trying for the top 5.”
