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Razgatlioglu: "In the race simulation, I was very strong…"

Friday, 15 October 2021 19:50 GMT

    • The Championship leader topped the times on Friday after showing some incredible pace during a race simulation in FP2

    All the headlines as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returned to the Circuito San Juan Villicum belonged to Championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) as he topped Friday running for the Motul Argentinean Round by more than two tenths after some scincilating pace throughout the two 45-minute sessions that started the penultimate round of the campaign.

    Razgatlioglu was the only rider to lap inside the 1’37s bracket as he posted a lap time of 1’37.872s, more than two tenths clear of Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in second place and six tenths clear of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in fifth after the reigning Champion crashed in FP2 and lost most of the session.

    The Turkish star’s best lap came nine laps into a 12-run stint that concluded his Friday running, with all of those laps coming in below the 1’38.7s mark to give him an average lap time of 1’38.400s. Between lap six and nine of his stint, Razgatlioglu posted a 1’38.279s, 1’38.226s, 1’38.078s and 1’37.872s as he continually found time despite the tyres becoming more worn throughout his stint.

    Discussing his Friday pace, the Championship leader said: “This day for me was very good. In the race simulation, I was very strong. Also, today, I tried different setups because it’s my first time here on a Yamaha. I feel ready to race. I’ve been on the podium three times at this track. One time in 2018, two times in 2019. This year, I say I need to win because three times third position here, I need a win now. Today was a very good day for me but tomorrow is important because of Race 1.”

    Razgatlioglu has a possibility of winning the Championship in Argentina as he currently holds a 24-point lead over Rea in the Championship standings and will be crowned Champion if he leaves the Argentinean Round with a 62-point advantage over Rea. Discussing this, Razgatlioglu said: “I’m not thinking about the chances to win the Championship, I am just Focused on the race. You saw this morning it was a dirty track; I went directly on track. I’m not scared, I’m just Focused on the race. Tomorrow, I am fighting for victory.”

    WorldSBK is back on track at San Juan Villicum from 10:00 Local Time (GMT-3) on Saturday and you can watch it all using the WorldSBK VideoPass!