After winning the World Superbike Championship, the representative who moved to MotoGP Toprak Razgatlıoğlu reflected on the difficulties he experienced during the season. Toprak recalled that the current chart reminded him of his first year in WorldSBK, in the 2018 season, when he answered questions from reporters at an event he attended.
Difficulties and Transformation in MotoGP
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu shared some moments from his racing career. The representative, who stated he struggled to make the top 10 in MotoGP, reminded the audience of the 2018 season.
The last time I felt this way was in 2018; it was the first year I raced with a Superbike, with a Kawasaki.
Toprak stated that the season was very difficult in a real sense. The representative mentioned that he finished in 9th, 10th, or 12th places all the time, and for that period, he thought that finishing in 12th place was not bad, but he started thinking, "I don't have any potential, all I can do is this much."
The Importance of Confidence
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu shared the changes he experienced in his racing career. He expressed that he felt much more difficult now because he was a three-time world champion and had an incredible season last year. He emphasized that he finished in 15th, 18th, and 12th places in his rankings, highlighting that his best result was 11th. He said this was more difficult for him because he was already a winning rider, and finishing 10th or 12th in 2018 was bad, but he did not feel it now. Furthermore, he stated that doubts that occur without confidence are not doubts that undermine confidence.
The doubts you experience when you have no confidence are not the doubts that undermine your confidence.
Tire Performance and What Needs to Be Learned
The representative stated that he achieved a better pace with the middle tire during the race but could not utilize the full potential of the soft tire. He stressed that he needed to learn something about this. He expressed that he could not fully understand the limits of this tire, which he considered one of the biggest problems.
I get a better pace with the middle tire in a race because it is relatively easier to ride with it, but I cannot use the full potential of the soft tire. I need to learn this because I still cannot fully understand the limits of this tire. This is one of our biggest problems.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu recounted that when he got onto the podium at Donington Park in response to these difficulties in his racing career, everything changed, and he started believing in himself again. This change was considered a turning point in the representative's career.
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- Archive: Toprak Razgatlıoğlu Explains the Three World Championships (September 26, 2026)
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Go to sourceCompiled by Şükrü Utku Poyraz
