Official: Razgatlioglu to replace Lowes at Yamaha in 2020
After five years of constant progress within the private Kawasaki Puccetti team (in Superstock 600 and 1000 then Superbike), Toprak Razgatlioglu will join the Yamaha factory team next year, in place of Alex Lowes. Turkish No.54’s mission is clear: to dethrone Jonathan Rea and his Ninja…
The transfer in 2020 of – and its own Superbike V4 ?! – was the worst kept secret of the World Superbike paddock this summer. But just below on the list of information classified not-at-all confidential, appeared the passage of Toprak Razgatlioglu from Kawasaki to Yamaha….
Why such a leak? The main cause is the complete surprise represented by this change of color: after having climbed all the ranks of the WorldSBK (STK600, STK1000 then SBK) among the Greens – who are the strongest, it is well known -, the Turkish driver signs among the Blues !
- MNC special file :
- World Superbike 2019 :
Toprak’s future seemed already mapped out: Superstock 600 champion in his first season (at the same time as Sofuoglu in SSP and Rea in SBK), then Superstock 1000 runner-up in 2017, his two remarkable seasons in the "queen" category. "with the same private Italian team was to open the box of the official Kawasaki team in 2020.
Author of two podiums in his first Superbike season, the young Ninja (23 years old on October 16) confirmed in 2019 by adding eight Toprak Top 3 in his collection …, in the first round then in the Superpole race despite a distant 16th place on the grid (!).
Selected by Kawasaki to race with factory riders Rea and Haslam at the Suzuka 8 Hours this summer, Kenan Sofuoglu’s colt curiously did not have the honor of taking part in the race … Vexed, the Turkish rider and his clan have decided to turn their boots to Akashi’s firm and join Iwata’s.
To welcome this unexpected and unexpected recruit, Yamaha had to part with a rider, and the choice fell on the faithful Alex Lowes, member of the factory team since Yamaha’s return to WorldSBK in 2016. The 2013 British Superbike champion then shared the box with our 2014 Word Superbike champion – and fine tuner! – Sylvain Guintoli…
Kawasaki Vs Yamaha, the poster for the WSBK 2020 ?
"It was a difficult decision not to continue with Alex as an official rider for the 2020 season but it was also our sincere hope that he would remain in the Yamaha family", states Eric de Seyne, CEO of Yamaha Motor Europe, aware of letting go one of the best riders on the field: the third currently, and the first Yamaha! Alex has in fact totaled 279 points in the provisional, against 274 for his teammate and comrade Michael van der Mark.
"We knew that there was a risk and, unfortunately it turned out to be correct, that Alex is not on a Yamaha next season", specifies the great French boss … The n ° 22 will find himself he riding a Kawasaki, the n ° 91 by Leon Haslam originally intended for Toprak Razgatlioglu? The loop would come full circle.
Disappointed to see the excellent Lowes leave, Yamaha is looking forward to welcoming the exceptional Razgatlioglu: last Saturday during the 800th race of the WSBK, n ° 54 – like Sofuoglu! – became the first Turkish to win in Superbike, surpassing his mentor and five-time Supersport champion.
"I want to be the second Turkish rider to become world champion and the first to shine in MotoGP", dreamed Toprak (2013-2014). If the Grand Prix track was never open to him, that of a WorldSBK world title is perfectly possible….
As talented and aggressive as Kenan in his day, Toprak is always "ready to attack to the limit to overcome any obstacle", underlines his future employer (see statements below). Able to beat Rea in the race on his private ZX-10RR, will Razgatlioglu be able to dethrone the five-time world champion Rea on an entire championship at the controls of the factory R1? Answer to follow on MNC: stay connected…
Statements
Eric de Seynes, President of Yamaha Motor Europe:
"Toprak Razgatlioglu is WorldSBK’s most exciting young rider and I am both happy and proud that he is racing for Yamaha in 2020. Considering Toprak’s progress this year, which is only his second in Superbike, his prodigious talent seems obvious, but his warrior spirit is too. Like his teammate for next season, Michael van der Mark, he is a rider who always finds that little extra on race day and is ready to attack to the limit to overcome any obstacle. We saw that at Magny-Cours, where he started from the sixth row on the grid to win his first WorldSBK victory. We also saw this season that Yamaha has closed the gap to its competitors on the track and I can’t wait to see what Toprak can do on our Yamaha YZF-R1 in 2020. With Michael and Toprak I think we will have next year l ‘one of the strongest and most dynamic crews in the pla WorldSBK teau ".
Manuel Puccetti, Kawasaki Puccetti Team Manager:
“At Kawasaki Puccetti Racing we all have a special attachment to Toprak. We took him on his ‘first day of school’ in the STK600 and we have grown together as a rider and as a team. For us it is amazing. satisfying and we are extremely proud of our five years together. Toprak is a pure talent and an amazing warrior who learned this style of riding with his manager, another Puccetti pilot, Kenan Sofuoglu. Toprak is a very relaxed guy and we are sure he has a great future in WorldSBK. Everyone at Kawasaki Puccetti Racing thanks him for his time spent with our team and Kawasaki ".
Steve Guttridge, Competition Manager at Kawasaki Europe:
“It has been a pleasure working with Toprak since the age of 16, helping him grow and be successful in the Puccetti team on the various Kawasaki Ninja models. His mentor Kenan said to me: ‘this kid worth gold, can you work with him? ". Of course we listened to him and he always delivered Kawasaki’s best results in the Stock categories, and now he concludes his journey with us by entering the story about the new Ninja ZX-10RR in the highest category of World Superbike! We are obviously very sad to see it move on, but we would like to thank Toprak and Kenan for their great successes with Kawasaki, past and present, and we thank the WorldSBK championship which helps to integrate these young talents into the world of motorcycle racing in general ".
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