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In the day's combined standings, Toprak Razgatlioglu occupied a fifth position, eight tenths behind Nicolò Bulega. He seemed distressed because the sensations he had last year riding the M 1000 RR have vanished into thin air.
Apparently the regulatory change has weighed not a little on the performance of the Turk, as distant as he has not been seen in a long time from the top.
So the BMW rider analyzed the situation.
"Here, all the Ducatis are fast, while we're worse than last year," he began. "I have no confidence on the bike, and I feel like I'm on ice. I can't follow the line I want, and I'm struggling a lot. I did two laps behind Bulega to follow him, but he's really fast. He enters corners well, opens the throttle easily, and has grip. I, on the other hand, am struggling with the bike, and I honestly don't know what to expect for the weekend. I'll try to fight for the podium, but I don't know if I'll make it or not."
What's changed here at Phillip Island?
"The bike is completely different than it was last year. We tried everything, but nothing works. I tried to follow Bulega, and he has incredible grip. Right now, Nicolo is at another level and everything has changed for us."
How big was the change, having to switch to the standard chassis?
"I feel like I switched to riding a bike from dry to snow. The hotter it gets, the more we suffer while, when it's cold, we still manage to do something. The thing is, I'm struggling a lot, and I'm struggling with my bike. When I enter corners, I'm not confident. We've changed everything we can, but nothing works."
There are as many as four Ducatis up front aiming for the podium...
"I don't know how I can fight with all those Ducatis up in front. Unfortunately, the sensations are really bad, and I don't even understand why Dorna pushed for this rule. It's like in 2019, when Bautista and the Ducati was always in front, but nothing was done about it."
Toprak, do you think these problems are amplified because of the track?
"Last year, only here, in Phillip Island, I wasn't as fast as I would've liked, but the sensations weren't bad. Now, everything is different. Van der Mark and I are looking at each other and smiling, because there's nothing that can be done."
