Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) strode to a Race 1 win on Saturday in the opening MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship Race of the French Round. ‘El Turco’ showed once again his affinity for the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, as his win raises his tally to nine wins at the venue, tying the record held by Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) for the most in the circuit’s history. Furthermore, in topping the podium in Race 1, it now marks his 10^th win in a row, and his 12^th in the competition's last 13 races.

His win started strong, snatching the holeshot from his pole position start. He was followed by Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and title rival Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) in the early laps, before Bulega’s eventual overtake for P2. Razgatlioglu ended up winning the race by 8.597s, the largest margin at a dry race at Magny-Cours since Tom Sykes beat Irishman Eugene Laverty by more than 11 seconds back in 2013.

BACK WITH A VENGEANCE:” Today was incredible because I earned pole in the Superpole and broke the circuit record. This is special after missing Magny-Cours last season because of the big crash”

With his ideal start to the French weekend in hand, the defending Champion has momentum in his favour. His success so far means a little extra to the Turkish phenom, as while he is no stranger to the view from the top of the podium, last season his trip to Magny-Cours was marred by a heavy crash, which saw him miss the round and the subsequent Acerbis Italian Round at Cremona.

On his Saturday successes, Razgatlioglu said: “Today was incredible because I earned pole position in the Superpole and broke the circuit record. This is special to me, especially after missing Magny-Cours last season because of the big crash I didn’t race. Now, I need to win here with BMW because this is my last season. I’m happy; we started strong and maintained an incredible pace, but I need to improve in some sectors and certain areas of my bike. At the end of the race, I made some mistakes. I felt a lot of locking on the rear tyre, but this is not a big problem and should not be a hard fix.”

SPICK AND SPAN RIDING: “This is my favourite track, so here I’m focusing on not making mistakes and winning one race at a time”

While the glory of accolades and track records is surely not lost on the defending Champion, Razgatlioglu espoused a mindset focused on the present. However, if he can accomplish his 11^th win in Sunday’s Race 2, it would mean not only breaking Jonathan Rea's (Pata Maxus Yamaha) record win tally at the circuit which he is currently tied with at nine; but he would raise the record by a further two wins before he rides off into the sunset on his way to the MotoGP paddock in 2026.

“The feeling is amazing, to win here with three different brands is amazing. I’m at nine wins here now, but I hope I can make it 10 wins tomorrow, maybe even 11 by the end of the weekend. Sometimes I’m only thinking about points in the Championship, but it’s also very important to focus on riding race by race without mistakes. This is my favourite track, so here I’m focusing on not making mistakes and winning one race at a time. Next round at Aragon, it will be different, everyone is very strong there, but I am just trying to do my best.”

One victory on Sunday would take ‘El Turco’ to 10 wins at Magny-Cours, joining Most and Donington Park as circuits he’s scored double-digit victories at. This would create WorldSBK history for the Turkish superstar as he would become the first rider in the Championship’s history to have 10 or more wins at three circuits. He’s currently level with Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) with two tracks, with Rea taking victory at Assen 17 times and Portimao on 13 occasions. The only other rider to have 10 or more wins at a single venue is Carl Fogarty, who won at Assen 12 times.

Catch Razgatlioglu in the pair of races at Magny-Cours’s final day! Watch live or on demand with WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 50% off!