Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu was feeling incredibly positive after the Italian Grand Prix, lauding Pramac for giving him a feeling in engine braking after making ‘significant’ changes to his bike.
The Turkish rider has had some difficulty adapting to MotoGP from World Superbikes. The different machines, as well as his riding style and towering height, have presented some problems.
Results have been hard to come by for Razgatlioglu, with just four points to his name so far. But at the Italian Grand Prix, he made a huge step forward and was ecstatic with Pramac’s progress.
Pramac’s significant change gave Toprak Razgatlioglu feeling with engine braking at the Italian GP
The 29-year-old has been making encouraging steps forward in recent weeks. Razgatlioglu was ‘on par’ with Fabio Quartararo during the Barcelona test – he is determined to be Yamaha’s top rider.
Razgatlioglu ‘really liked’ Pramac’s chassis upgrade in Barcelona, and in Mugello, the team made further changes to his bike, which left him with a great feeling with engine braking.
Speaking to Speedweek after the race, Razgatlioglu explained how engine braking is the ‘key’ to his success. He was really happy with how the bike felt.
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“I’m so satisfied because we really took a decisive step today,” he said. “Before the warm-up, my team made a significant change to the bike, and the result was that it felt completely different.
“I could feel the engine braking, decelerate properly – but at the same time also carry more speed through the corners. The key is the engine braking! When I feel that and can use it to help me brake, that’s the feeling I need.
“After the start, which was much better than in the sprint, it took a little while, but then I found a rhythm that was really good. I caught up with Fabio and I was also able to keep up with Morbidelli’s pace.”
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Toprak Razgatlioglu says not being Yamaha’s top rider at Mugello is ‘irrelevant’
Alex Rins had been running as Yamaha’s top rider at Mugello, but he crashed out of the race. That left Razgatlioglu as the lead rider, coming home 15th ahead of teammate Jack Miller.
However, he was demoted one place due to a track limits penalty. Nevertheless, Razgatlioglu was not bothered by the result, but rather continued to praise Pramac for their improvements.
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“The fact that I’m no longer the best Yamaha rider is just as irrelevant to me as the position. I’m only happy with the job we did here in Mugello.
“When I imagine that we’ll go straight to Balaton with this setup, to a track I really like and that suits my style much better, then I’m truly happy.”
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