RiderTua.com – Toprak Razgatlioglu’s success in Catalunya is a historic milestone for BMW. The first time since 2013, the German manufacturer won the main race in the World Superbike Championship. The BMW M1000RR was prepared by many mechanics and developed by engineers. Phil Marron, who worked as crew chief in his 7th year with Toprak, played his role in the success of the Turkish rider. Can Toprak be world champion with a BMW this year?
Marron admitted, “It was a touching moment for me. We secured pole position and saw a great performance in the first race. Toprak launched our strategy. He had to protect the tires and attack late. With this strategy we won. With two laps remaining his front wheel almost slipped at turn 10, but he won the race. It was something special.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu World Champion with BMW? His Crew Chief Said This
Toprak Razgatlioglu – Phil Marron
Toprak Razgatlioglu not only won the first race, but also won the sprint after making a brave maneuver by overtaking Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) at the last corner, which was very similar to Rossi when fighting Jorge Lorenzo in MotoGP 2009.
“Until the last lap he didn’t get the chance to study Alvaro, even though he was strong. Then suddenly he was in front of him. Toprak saw a gap in the last corner, used second gear and blocked the racing line, it was hard to believe,” added Marron.
For information, Marron has accompanied Toprak since 2019. First at the Puccetti Kawasaki team, then at the Yamaha factory team and now at BMW. When Marron was asked, how did he feel collaborating in the new team? He replied that the atmosphere was great. Everyone works hand in hand. Toprak and Michael (van der Mark) give each other tips and help each other, both on and off the track.
“To understand the whole package, it’s like we’ve only scratched the surface. Toprak is still learning and developing from session to session. He invested a lot of energy in this project, the potential is extreme. We would like to have more time for testing and development,” said Marron But this was not possible due to limited testing for regular drivers, so BMW set up its own test team in the summer of 2023.
After finishing 3rd in the second race, Toprak Razgatlioglu is now ranked 4th in the standings with only Alex Lowes (Kawasaki), Alvaro Bautista and Nicolo Bulega (both Aruba.it Ducati) ahead of him.
When asked whether Toprak could win a world title in his first year with BMW? “Never say never,” concluded Marron.
