In the aftermath of the recent race, Toprak Razgatlioglu voiced his frustrations and observations about the performance disparities between his Yamaha and the Ducatis. Despite his evident disappointment after finishing Race 2, Razgatlioglu should take solace in the fact that he still has opportunities to clinch the championship title in Jerez.
The Yamaha rider had a face-off with Ducati’s Álvaro Bautista throughout the Sunday race. He remarked, “I was faster in the corners, but also on the exit because his acceleration was incredible. When I had him in front during the early laps, I noticed his bike accelerates even when skidding after a turn, whereas mine doesn’t if it skids even slightly.”
Comparing the power between the two bikes, Razgatlioglu stated, “I believe it depends on the power, but also on the skidding. Álvaro doesn’t throttle before me. He goes wide in full power, skids, but his bike remains fast. During the Superpole, it was about the track line because he had more grip than me.”
Razgatlioglu was filled with adrenaline during the race, pushing himself to the limit, especially in the last four laps. He said, “I felt I was at 200%, especially in the last four laps. I was there with Álvaro and kept pushing hard because I told myself my place was first, not second. I focused on winning the race and tried to overtake him again.”
Discussing his strategy, he shared, “My plan was to immediately attack him if Álvaro didn’t go wide in the last two laps. But he went wide in turn 5, and I overtook him. However, I went slightly wide in turn 7, and he overtook me again in the last turn.”
It’s evident that Ducati’s performance is unparalleled. Razgatlioglu candidly stated, “Everyone knows Ducati has the best bike. I ride a Yamaha, and we’re battling against the best bike… It’s better I don’t speak. It seems BMW is faster on the straights, so we should have more chances to win here and at other circuits if I could adapt to the bike immediately.”