This weekend Toprak Razgatlioglu has the chance to equal or break the record for the most consecutive wins in World Superbike racing.
Toprak Razgatlioglu finished yesterday Free training sessions for the MotoGP World Championship In third place. However, the Turkish rider suffered mechanical problems in both sessions. The #54 car was forced to miss the last 10 minutes of FP2, but he did not seem bothered by the lost time on the track.
Razgatlioglu arrives in Portimao leading the MotoGP world championship standings, and his pace on Friday suggests he could extend his lead throughout the weekend.
“In FP2 I felt a technical problem and after I got to the penalty area, the bike couldn’t be driven for the last 10 or 11 minutes,” Razgatlioglu told WorldSBK.com.
“But overall I don’t feel bad, before the technical problem I was on a used tyre and I’m very happy and the bike is in good condition with the used tyre. This is positive for me because I did very well with the used tyre. On the 18 laps I did 1:40.9, which is very good in hot conditions. After I put on a new tyre, but after three or four laps I felt the problem.”
Asked about the time lost on the track, Razgatlioglu did not seem too concerned. The 2021 MotoGP world champion believes he knows Portimao well enough to make it through the final 10 minutes of practice.
“I lose time, but that’s not a problem because we know this track, everyone knows it,” Razgatlioglu added.
“The only difference is that it is very hot this week and the grip is less… I lost some time on the track, but it is not a problem, I am happy with that. It will not always go well, we had some problems, but I hope we will come back strongly, especially in the race.”
Razgatlioglu has the chance to equal the record for the most consecutive wins in a WorldSBK race in the first race of the week. When asked about equalling the record, Razgatlioglu insisted that he is more focused on breaking the record on Sunday than equalling the record.
“I think about it, but I am focused on winning 12 races, not 11. Tomorrow is the first race, and I will do my best as I have done before, and hopefully we win, and on Sunday in the sprint race, if I win, we will have won 12 races.”
