It was the first factory team to show up. Who are we talking about? BMW. Toprak and van der Mark unveiled the new bike in Berlin, and everyone was curious to see the latest evolution of the M 1000 RR.
The world champion, wearing a gold suit, sported the number one on the German bike with which he'll be battling for the title in 2025. They're all excited about the challenge ahead and know that he can again hit the jackpot like he did last season.
The frame was one of the topics discussed, something we had already anticipated just recently.
"I'm not someone who likes the number one very much, but I chose it for BMW," he began. "Obviously, I'm very excited about having won at my debut with the M 1000 RR, because 2024 was supposed to be a year of apprenticeship. However, when I won in Barcelona, I knew I could do it, because that was the most difficult track for me and BMW. Then came Misano, and that was the confirmation, because Ducati has always been competitive there. We managed to do a great job, and the bike developed a lor, making the most of the components."
In all this, the Turkish rider didn't forget the difficulties and spoke about the future.
"If I hadn't gone back to Aragon, I wouldn't have won the world championship. That weekend was incredible, because I even managed to fight for the victory after almost a month of being at a standstill. For 2025, the goal is to win the title again and also see van der Mark on the podium. But, now, the world championship is beginning, and we're looking towards Philipp Island, a difficult round with many unknowns. So, we'll see what's going to happen. I have a big goal, which is to win even on those tracks where I failed in 2024."
Toprak, what do you expect from this 2025?
"I hope Alvaro will be competitive again, since I missed battling with him last season."
Why did he struggle so much in your opinion?
"He started the world championship very relaxed, thinking he would win it again. He also didn't consider Bulega, but he destroyed him."
How are you, physically?
"Unfortunately, I hurt myself doing Enduro. The goal is to be back for the Portimao tests, if not Phillip Island. If I'm not at the tests in Portugal, that's not a problem. The most important thing is to be there in Australia, because that's a special track."
Let's talk about the rejected frame. Were you surprised?
"I honestly don't understand this, even though my priority is to go full throttle. It's a strange thing, since the Ducati is still the best bike on the track. I want to be focused only on my work, thinking about the first race. The frame has to be taken care of by my team. Now everyone is talking about the frame, but the Ducati is still the best bike."
How much will BMW change by using the stock frame?
"We have several days of testing to improve the bike. I prefer not to talk about the new rules or I'll get angry."