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The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid will have major changes compared to 2023 and one of these comes in the form of Toprak Razgatlioglu’s move to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team alongside Michael van der Mark. With Scott Redding moving to the Bonovo Action BMW) alongside Garrett Gerloff, the four-rider BMW line-up is star-studded and Razgatlioglu’s BMW colleagues have revealed what they think he will bring to the team and the project.

“LOOKING FORWARD TO SHARING THE GARAGE WITH HIM” – van der Mark and Razgatlioglu reunited

After spending the 2020 season together at the factory Yamaha team and building a special bond, van der Mark and Razgatlioglu parted ways when the #60 moved to BMW for 2021. With Razgatlioglu making the switch, the pair will be reunited inside the factory BMW box and will hope they can lead the German manufacturer to success. With van der Mark fully aware of his teammate’s strengths, he explained how he think BMW as a whole will benefit from the #54’s arrival.

Van der Mark said: “Honestly, I think Toprak is the rider with the most talent in the whole field. His style is different to everyone else. He’s really strong on the brakes so there’s something we can learn a lot from. He’s a fast rider, and there’s always something we can learn from a fast rider. Everyone’s really motivated that he wanted to join this project, in the end he came and I’m looking forward to sharing the garage with him.”

“MAYBE HE CAN BRING SOME THINGS THAT CAN WORK FOR US” – Redding stands to benefit from Razgatlioglu’s arrival?

Redding spent two seasons in the BMW factory team and scored podiums in 2022, while 2023 proved to be more challenging as he missed out on a rostrum. He remains within the BMW family for the new season but in the Bonovo Action BMW team, as he joins up with Gerloff to form the Independent BMW outfit’s strong line-up. The Brit has battled Razgatlioglu on several occasions, so his view comes from what he saw when fighting the 2021 Champion, but he was also full of praise for his new stablemate.

On what ‘El Turco’ can bring to the team, Redding explained: "Having Toprak come here is always a good thing. He’s a top-level rider, fighting for wins. You know he has the ability. When I came from another manufacturer, I knew I had the ability, it was difficult, but the bike is now in a much different place. We can learn from Toprak, especially from his special braking style. I’m always interested in how it’s done, because it’s a skilful thing. Maybe he can bring some things that can maybe work for us here. He’s been a great guy, we’ve had a great atmosphere, and I think we’re onto a good one this year."

“WE’RE LUCKY TO HAVE HIM ONBOARD THE BMW PROGRAMME” – Gerloff’s view on Razgatlioglu’s move

American star Gerloff spent a few seasons alongside Razgatlioglu while they were both with Yamaha, albeit in different teams. Nevertheless, having worked closely with the Turk during his time in WorldSBK, Gerloff explained what he can bring to the manufacturer as he goes in search of a first BMW rostrum after ending his maiden season with the German manufacturer on a high; he claimed a stunning pole at Magny-Cours and narrowly missed out on a podium during the second half of 2023.

“He can bring a lot,” Gerloff said about Razgatlioglu. “He’s definitely one of the most impressive guys I’ve seen on a motorcycle and the talent level he has is huge. I think he can bring a lot of direction. He’s a guy people listen to. I think, for the engineers, if we’re all on the same page as riders, I think it can really steer the ship of the project a little bit more. The bike’s in a good spot, it doesn’t need a lot, but the things I need help with, like engine braking, I know he’s talking about similar stuff so I expect those things to get solved pretty quickly. I genuinely think he’s a damn good rider and we’re lucky to have him onboard the BMW programme.”

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