Toprak Razgatlıoğlu Sets the Fastest Lap of the Race

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu finished the Aragon Grand Prix with a drop in his results table. However, the data from the race showed one of the most promising performances of the national rider in MotoGP to date.

Toprak did not climb from 21st to 15th place in the standings. Despite this, he achieved a better personal result than all Yamaha riders by setting the fastest tenth lap of the race.

Ranking Concealed Actual Pace

Toprak’s performance in the Aragon race demonstrated the difference between a single fast lap and the pace maintained throughout the race. The single-lap performance and straight-line speed of the Yamaha V4 limited Toprak’s range of movement. Nevertheless, the situation changed once the race began. In the first laps, the Pramac rider found his rhythm and caught up to the front group, starting to contend with riders from different manufacturers, such as Luca Marini and Johann Zarco. The real progress for Toprak emerged in this phase.

The national rider commented on this process:

In their words

Our national rider said that while he usually finds himself on his own in some previous races, he was able to contend with rivals in Aragon.

Yamaha’s Potential Was Shown

Toprak’s best lap placing tenth overall showed that the top 10 possibility was not merely an optimistic guess. This lap was faster than all riders on Yamaha. Although Jack Miller finished eleventh, the instantaneous pace Toprak achieved demonstrated the motorcycle's potential during the race. However, maintaining this speed throughout the race was difficult. Toprak’s next goal would be to carry this pace to the end of the race without wearing out the tires.

Tire Issues and Critical Moments

After the front tire lost its performance in the final part of the race, it made it difficult for Toprak to use his strong braking style. As the front tire began to lock up, our national rider, who opened up in the corners, lost pace on Turn 12 while trying to maintain his speed. Toprak believes that 11th or 12th, or even a top 10 finish, is possible if the tire issue had not occurred. Although the inability to finish without points from Aragon was disappointing, the race pace showed that a significant threshold in the MotoGP adaptation process had begun to be crossed. The fundamental question emerged: whether this speed could be spread across the entire race distance.

Figures

• Aragon GP: 5.08 km length, lap record 1:46.069.