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Friday at Misano is off to a good start for Turkish rider Razgatlioglu, who while working on his race pace and net of a crash in Fp2 closed in fifth place, set the best time in the combined thanks to his performance in Fp1. So Toprak says he is satisfied with his first approach at the Rimini circuit, but the high temperatures could be a relevant factor ahead of Saturday's important qualifying session, on which the Turk knows he has to put his money where his mouth is.
"It was a stupid crash ," Toprak interjected , "I was sliding on the rear and went wide but I still tried to hold the corner because I was starting to try the fast lap. I had also done a 12-14 lap race simulation today. After the crash I went back to the pits to watch the rest of FP2. In general, though, the feeling is really good with these temperatures on the track. I used used tires and did a 1'34''2 but with these tires the drop in performance due to wear is very high, especially in this heat, but I still think I did a really good lap. With the new tires the feeling improved a lot, especially the grip, but it was no longer possible to make a fast lap. So overall the feeling is good and I feel ready to face the race."
Even in FP1 you had a problem and came back to the pit.
"Yes, I came back because the quickshifter lever was not working. We replaced it but then on the second exit there was that red flag and I had to come back in. I still think I did a good race simulation but tomorrow the important thing will be to focus on qualifying in order to do well in the race."
Compared to last year, it's a different story.
"Yes, now I feel the power, the bike is strong in the two straights and now I am adapting to this bike. In the left turns I feel we are still improving. In general things are going in the right direction, we are improving step by step and today I had a good time, in the first session I did those 12 laps to find the race pace, a work that continued in the afternoon session, but when I was looking for the time there was that crash. Starting well is always good, but sometimes so is falling, tomorrow we will go back to the track even stronger and more motivated. Overall I am satisfied, I like racing here in Misano even if the temperatures make things a little more complicated, but that's how it is for everyone. The package however works well, tomorrow it will be important to do well in qualifying, I think we will see a low 1'32, it would be a dream but with these conditions I know it will not be easy because the grip will be less, especially on the front."
How do you explain that you are so far ahead of the other BMWs, even compared to Michael?
"Yes but Michael is also improving, and he is coming from a big injury. As for the Bonovo team BMWs, however, I don't know exactly what the problem might be. It's strange, because normally Gerloff has always been competitive in the BMWs but this year he seems to be lost. I hope the other BMWs will come back competitive to fight against the Ducatis all together."
Winning here in Misano against the Ducatis would be of value to you?
"I have won here in the past, but in these conditions it is not easy and it seems that the Ducatis are working better than the other bikes. However, it seems that we are ready to fight for the win, we will see tomorrow in qualifying. My goal here obviously is the three wins, and I hope things will go that well, but more realistically I hope to win at least a few, it will start from qualifying."
What about the possibility of younger riders coming to superbikes.
"This is not an easy category, it still takes time to adapt to these bikes. However, I hope that in the future some will come because right now the average age actually is a bit high."
Automatic Translation by DeepL
