Honda told to pursue “fresh” Toprak Razgatlioglu who is “without preconceptions”

“If I’m Honda, Toprak is one of th✃e names at✅ the very top of the list"

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Jerez WorldSBK test, 25 January
Toprak Razgatlioglu, Jerez WorldSBK test, 25 January

Honda have been advised to bring 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Toprak Razgatlioglu into their MotoGP project.

The topic of the World Superbikes BMW rider’s future was debated in-depth on the latest episode of the Crash Mo💧toGP podcast.

Razgatlioglu’s manager Kenan Sofuoglu caused a stir by insisting they want a switch from WSBK to🅘 MotoGP in 2025.

“If I’m Honda, Toprak is one of the names at 𓆏the very top of the list,” Peter McLaren said on the Crash MotoGP podcast.

“The🧸▨ talent is there, the willingness to take on a difficult project.

“Potentially a two-time WSBK champion. He’d come into MotoGP fresh without preconceptions of ‘this is what their bike d🎶id, which your bike does not do…’

“He’s just going to get on the bike𒁃 and say ‘this is what I want it to do’, then just r🐻ide the wheels off it. Like he does with the BMW.

“Honda have got great riders already, proven riders, race winners🌜.

“It would do no h💛arm at all, I think, to bring in somebody. It’s the best of both worlds - a rookie with massive experience of taking on a project.

“The BMW isn’t the easiest but he makes it work.

“Honda are in a rebuilding phase with Joan Mir.

“This is the firs🍸t year without Marc Marquez, the start of a new era.

“They are not lౠooking to make a bi﷽ke that works around this fantastic one-off talent.

“They are making a bike which works for several riders which is what people said Honda need to do for a𒐪 long time. Not just re🌄ly on Marc.

“They are at the start of that process. It’s a whole dif🐼ferent situation to previously, which was ‘make that guy happy, give the super-talented guy whatever he wants’.

“That’s gone out of the wind♌ow now. They’ve got to take the more modern approach of Ducati, listening to every rider so it works for differenꦿt styles.”

MotoGP 'opposite of Toprak's style'

Razgatlioglu has come clꦏose to MotoGP once before without joy.

He tested Yamaha’s MotoGP bike but seemingly didn’t do 😼enough to convince them to bring him over.

Since then, he has split with Yamaha’s WSBK project and linked up with BMW where, this season, he iꦐs a threat for the cꦫhampionship.

“It would still be a big risk,” McLaren said abo🐽ut Razgatlioglu moving into MotoGP. “He tried the M1, it didn’t work for his riding style.

“We know how important it is to use the rear tyre, the rear grip, for braking which is the opposite to Toprak🥀’s fantastic style.

“In many ways, it๊’d be like the adaptation of Marquez to the Ducati. H🍃e was a ‘rear wheel in the air’ kind of guy!

“Now he’s trying to work out how to use the extra gri♔p🉐.

“That’s the proce🐬ss Toprak would have to go through. I have no doubt he 🔜could do it.

“If hi✅s management are keen and he’s looking at this, it’d be huge for MotoGP.”

His savvy manager made a similar move in his own racing career and will understand 🍨the pitfalls that await, if they get it wrong.

“Keenan went to Moto2 as the Su🍸persport champion,” McLaren recalled.

“He knows how difficult the grand prix paddock can be if you’re not on the💯 best machinery.

“He has made c🐼lear that Toprak needs a factory team. There aren’t that many🅰. There is one at Yamaha.

🍰“Having tested the bike and split with them already, it would be massive to go back.

“Honda? Everyone knows what Honda are capable of. It♏’s about the timeframe

𒅌“But if they throw everything at it? And they get Tꦇoprak?

“It would be a fantastic tඣ🌠hing for Honda. And for Toprak, if he turns it around, what a legend it would make him!

💞“There is also a great case to make for Toprak staying in WSBK and becoming a Jonny Rea type legend, perhaps th🍸e best ever.”

Read More

Subscribe to our MotoGP Newsletter