It was another triumphant weekend the one experienced by Toprak Razgatlioglu, who at Most scored his twelfth victory of the season, his tenth in a row, completing his third hat trick. A real solo performance that of the BMW rider, who by now has taken a liking not only to triumph but also to celebrate with some nice gags.
"We played just about thirty seconds of this game, which usually takes about ten minutes, because we didn't have much time and if we had been playing around everyone would have been waiting for me on the podium," Toprak told reporters, explaining the Race 2 celebrations, "I haven't seen any photos or videos, but it seemed like a nice thing for this weekend and I hope everyone enjoyed it. I'm starting to come up with something for each weekend. I don't know what I will do in Portimao if I win, but jumping in the pool might be a good idea."
If during the weekend at Donington the Turkish rider had inflicted abysmal gaps on his rivals throughout the race weekend, today he appeared decidedly more conservative than in recent days.
"Yesterday I felt a problem with a tire, so in Race 2, given the higher temperatures as well, I didn't keep the throttle fully open in the left-hand corners, while pushing hard in the right-hand ones. I kept the race under control, riding quietly and keeping an eye on my chart. My gap at the end wasn't bad, and then around the last or penultimate lap I lapped in 1'32"6 to show my team that I was running in 1'33" because I wasn't giving gas, but I had more - underlined the 27-year-old - Not pushing all the laps, I didn't have any problems with the tires this time and I'm very happy. We did an incredible job, everyone is working hard, everything is going great and we are very happy, also because we ended this weekend with another hat trick."
Another triumphant round for the leader, who is increasingly running away in the World Championship as well.
"It is an incredible weekend for me, an incredible year, and I hope we will win again in Portimao, because last year I lost to Alvaro at the last corner, but this time everything is different. It won't be easy, but I need two more wins to break the record. This obviously doesn't mean I'm only aiming for two wins but that's what I need for the record. Then maybe I will get to 15. We'll see," pointed out Razgatlioglu, who for the first time in his career can finally ride, and win, with ease: "Without looking back too much, last year I was pushing a lot every weekend, whereas this year everything is under control and I can ride with ease, as I did today in Race 2. Am I not bored? Yes, I'm bored but I'm also having fun because I'm back to winning. Now I understand what Ducati felt in 2019 by winning back-to-back."
Sensations felt by Toprak only in 2015, when he became champion in Superstock 600.
"It was the first time I raced on all the tracks on the calendar and I was not very strong in the first practice sessions, but then I was winning and I think I took five wins and became European Champion. The World Championship is a whole different thing. The level is different and everyone is very strong," he commented, "This year in particular I am riding like I am another Toprak, but I am really happy. BMW and I are on another level and I hope we will continue like this throughout the season, because we have to get to the title. Regardless, I don't think about the points I have in the championship, but I focus on one race at a time."
With the tables turned, it is now Aruba.it Racing Ducati team riders Alvaro Bautista and Nicolò Bulega who will have to try their best against Toprak.
"In my opinion, Alvaro was stronger last year. This year, he is not so much, while Bulega made a good jump, adapted immediately and was strong right from the start, but his big problem is that he pushes a lot in the first laps and uses the tires too much. Plus, I saw that at this particular circuit he was using the kerb a lot in the left turns and that's not good for the tires," noted the BMW rider. "Anyway, this is his first year, he's learning, and he just needs to be able to conserve the rear tire. As for Alvaro, he tried to get the best possible position, but this was not a good weekend for him. It's difficult for a rider, I understand that, because his teammate is very tough, he crashed and had some bad luck. There are still a lot of races, though, and I think he will come back to be stronger."
Razgatlioglu is not afraid of a fight and apparently does not seem worried that Bulega can improve further by following his advice.
"It's true that sometimes it's important not to say anything, but I like him! He's a good guy, he's young, and I think he will be able to be even stronger when he learns how to handle the rear tire. I'm just trying to help, like Johnny did years ago," concluded the Turk, convinced that: "he can improve in managing the rear tire, but fighting will be a bit tricky."