Betrayed just when things were looking up. At Assen, he was on the verge of his first top-ten finish in MotoGP, but his Yamaha threw a wrench in the works. Due to chattering, Toprak was forced to retire after an early part of the race that had seen him climb up to 11th place.
The initial feeling was great, then it turned into a nightmare.
“I managed to get off to a good start,” he said. “In Turn 5, I chose a good line and was able to pass a lot of riders. When I got close to the top 10, everything was going well, but then in the left-hand turns, severe chattering set in. I didn’t understand why. I was talking to Binder, and he also told me the chattering was incredible—because normally when you open the throttle, it stops, but today it didn’t. It was mainly in the left-hand turns, not the others. The way the bike was bouncing was unbelievable. I tried different lines and different riding styles, but it was impossible. When Brad passed me, I was around 15th place, and from that moment on, I started using only the right-hand turns to try to limit the problem. I tried so many solutions during the race, but I was really frustrated because it was impossible to ride like that.”
What were your initial impressions of the M1?
“Before the chattering started, I was feeling really good. I was riding hard; I thought I could catch up to Fabio and maybe stay with him for a few laps. I felt like I had more speed. But as soon as I got right behind him, the problem started and I immediately lost ground. I tried to find a way to stay close to him, but it was impossible.”
Hadn’t you had any warning signs before the race?
“No, none at all. Everything was fine before that. In fact, I was particularly fast in the left-hand turns. Looking at the data, Turn 5 isn’t usually a critical point, while in Turns 7 and 9 I was often able to make up a lot of ground. That’s one of my strong points. But when the chattering started, I began losing more and more. I’d make up some time in other parts of the track, but every time I hit the left-hand turns, I’d lose it all again.”
How much do you regret missing the top ten?
“For the first time, it really seemed possible to finish in the top ten. I felt good and my pace was excellent. But this problem came up during the race. I think the handling in the left-hand turns wasn’t right.”
Can we say this was one of your best races of the season?
“Yes, definitely. The pace was top-ten material. I’d gotten close to ninth or tenth place and felt I could stay there. It’s not easy to pass in this category because everyone defends their lines well and there’s very little room. I tried to take advantage of every opportunity. I was also lucky at Turn 5. Everyone went wide, and I stayed on the inside. I saw a gap open up and took advantage of it. I think someone braked really hard there, but I managed to pass three or four riders all at once.”
How are you feeling after this race?
“Much better than other times, because I finally felt like we could be competitive. I felt really comfortable on the medium tyre. I’d already had a good feeling this morning. Maybe the lap time wasn’t exceptional, but the bike was working better. With less grip, the chattering was less noticeable, and I could feel both the corner entry and the braking better. That’s why I’m fairly confident. However, we didn’t expect this level of chattering during the race. Even looking at the data, it’s very evident, and at the moment we don’t have a clear explanation. We’ll have to analyze everything carefully and figure out what happened.”