“The second is the first of the losers” Enzo Ferrari was quoted as saying, but Razgatlioglu doesn't seem to think so. From Barcelona he brought home three silver medals in as many races, but the Turkish Yamaha rider is happy. He knew that against Bautista there would be nothing he could do and, sometimes, being the ‘best of the rest’ is the best possible result. In Race 2, then, overtaking Rinaldi at the last corner was a maneuver that made everything all the more sweeter for Toprak.
“I waited for Michael's tyre to drop because he was pushing a lot, on the last lap I pushed a lot and in the last corner I passed him - he explained - I too was at the limit with the tyres, but I finished second. It was a good weekend for me, I didn't win, but I was 2nd three times and scored some good points for the championship."
When did you realize you could pass him?
“I saw that his rear tyre dropped, he couldn't lean in the right-hand corners. I'm happy because a 2nd place is better than a 3rd, I pushed in the last 2 laps to do it, maybe I could have done it earlier, but there's no need to talk about it because I passed him (laughs)".
Did the drops of rain just before the start change things?
“The grip wasn't like yesterday, especially at the front and that was a big problem for me. Every time I touched the gas, I felt the front lock up, so I straightened the bike before doing it."
You seem satisfied with your weekend.
“I wasn't very fast at this track, so I'm happy to have always been 2nd. After Assen I immediately thought of this circuit because I needed to get good results and I did a good job, like my team. I'm trying to get the most out of every race, maybe at Misano, or later, I'll go back to being as fast as I usually am. Here I rode only thinking about the podium, in Italy I won't have to worry about rear tyre wear and maybe I'll be able to fight for the win, even though I know the Ducati is very strong there. We'll see, now I'm focused on Misano to do it".
What do you think of Rea's crash on the last lap of the Superpole Race while you were battling it out?
“I saw Johnny crash, at that moment it wasn't clear whether it was dry or wet and the next lap I was careful, I didn't push. I watched the video after the race to see if it was his mistake or my mistake, I saw him touch the white line. It's really a bad season for him, I don't know if it's because of the bike or his feelings, he's an SBK legend and I think he'll be strong at Misano".
Sofuoglu won in Supersport, another good result for Turkey.
“Today I'm also very happy for Bahattin, as I was in Indonesia for Can’s victory. Now we are waiting for Deniz to win in Moto3 as well. In general, all of Kenan's riders are strong and I hope one day we will all be world champions."