Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu did not manage to score points on his MotoGP debut with Pramac, but Yamaha were still left encouraged by his performance.
It has been a tough start to life in the premier class for the Turkish rider. He has been struggling to adapt to Yamaha’s YZR-M1, as his riding style in World Superbikes has not been effective in MotoGP.
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Problems with the V4 engine have not helped Razgatlioglu and his adaptation, as the machine is clearly on the back foot. Razgatlioglu suggested to ‘turn the monitors off’ and not pay attention to the timesheets, as he expects a difficult start to the season with Pramac.
Pre-season testing suggested that the Thailand Grand Prix would be a painful race for Razgatlioglu. Pramac teammate Jack Miller’s race simulation was 50 seconds off the pace in Buriram, and while he was almost 50 seconds behind in the actual race, the Turkish rider fared slightly better.
Paolo Pavesio ‘satisfied’ by Toprak Razgatlioglu’s MotoGP debut
Razgatlioglu beat Miller in the Thailand GP, but he could only manage 17th, finishing 39 seconds off the winner, Marco Bezzecchi. Factory Yamaha riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins did score points in P14 and P15, with the former finishing 30 seconds back.
It might look like a disappointing weekend on paper, but Yamaha boss Pavesio sees the positives from Razgatlioglu’s performance, as he debriefed the Thailand GP via GPOne.
“Toprak did a good job. During the winter, he tried to adapt the bike to his style, then he realised that he had to adapt to the bike without affecting the balance.
“I’m satisfied; he managed to ride very close to our fastest riders, who are now his point of reference. Let’s remember that everything changes when you jump from SBK to MotoGP.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname
Neil Hodgson praises Toprak Razgatlioglu on MotoGP debut in Thailand
Razgatlioglu may have left Thailand empty-handed, but there were positives to take from his first race in MotoGP.
Neil Hodgson praised Razgatlioglu for the ‘fantastic job’ he did in Buriram. The Turkish rider was running within one second of Quartararo during the race, which is an impressive feat for the rookie.
Of course, the 29-year-old does have a long way to go in MotoGP, as he has to adapt to the YZR-M1 and adapt his riding style to the bike.
Difficult results and races are to be expected from Razgatlioglu. But if the Thailand GP is anything to go by, he is certainly making decent progress.
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