The Iwata manufacturer&rsquo;s test riders of reference are in action at Le Castellet, riding during what is also an EWC test. Sources say they swear that a huge amount of work is going in with the carbon coloured Yamaha R1, which, if you look closely, looks very similar to the version currently in use in the championship. The differences must be concealed by the fairings. But will this be the definitive version that we&#39;ll see in WorldSBK?  2023 R1: Yamaha believes in SBK and EWC   The manufacturer clearly believes, it is the SBK title holder after all. And so that we understand just how eager Razga is to communicate this to the world, there&rsquo;s the number 1 plate, the only one that is non-assignable. Will the Turk stay in SBK? It looks like it, at least for the 2023 season.  Alongside him is Andrea Locatelli, one of Italy&rsquo;s most interesting talents. Yamaha knows this and is holding on to him. The second part of the season will be fundamental for Andrea, who is keen to return to the podium and, why not, win at least one race.  The factory officially competes in the Endurance World Championship too, having won the title with Niccol&ograve; Canepa and David Checa in 2016 and 2017. The team of reference was GMT94, while today it is known as YART. The name might change, but it&rsquo;s nevertheless an ultra-factory project.  Translated by Heather Watson  SBK: minimum bike+rider weight to be introduced in 2024 

The Iwata manufacturer is a success in SBK and EWC: at Paul Ricard, the manufacturer&rsquo;s test riders are hard at work developing next year&rsquo;s model

WorldSBK, 2023 is already here for Yamaha: the updated R1

        The trio comprising Alvaro Bautista, Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu is putting on a real show in Superbike and this week they&rsquo;ll be in action at Most, in the Czech Republic, for another unmissable round. The Spaniard holds a 17-point lead and this round also marks the halfway point as far as the championship is concerned, which means that all the riders will be very keen to score positive results before they head into the summer break. First time&rsquo;s the charm for Bautista?  The championship leader, who made his first race error at the last round (at Donington Park), admits: &ldquo;It will be the first time for me on this circuit with the Ducati Panigale V4R. For this reason, it will be very important to find soon the right direction in terms of setup and at the same time start working on different tire solutions&rdquo;. It will be a unique debut for the Aruba.it Racing &ndash; Ducati rider, but morale is high: &ldquo;However, there is great confidence in light of the good race we had on Sunday at Donington&rdquo;. Jonathan Rea: "I expect a strong start"  Rea didn&rsquo;t score a win at his home round and had this to say ahead of the Czech round: &ldquo;Most is an exciting one because it is the last race of the first part of the season. It was a new circuit for everybody last season so we had a lot of learning to do. We hadn&rsquo;t tested there so it was a more difficult weekend than we expected&rdquo;. But today he arrives in a different situation: &ldquo;Armed with all the data we gained last season, and the improvements in the Ninja ZX-10RR, I expect to start strongly. I enjoy the circuit and they have worked really hard to improve it and re-asphalt it in a lot of areas&rdquo;. Confidence is high and the Northern Irishman concludes by admitting: &ldquo;The target is to go there to maximise our opportunities&rdquo;. The Turk&rsquo;s expectations and memories of 2021  Third in the championship, Toprak Razgatlioglu scored a triple win on Britain soil and this has of course helped, but he&rsquo;s aware just how battle-ready his rivals will be this weekend: &ldquo;In Most, like always I think we will see Johnny and Alvaro very strong, but we will keep fighting for the victory. I like the track and it was a nice fight on the final lap with Scott last year&rdquo;. The track has undergone some maintenance recently: &ldquo;There will be some parts of the track with a new asphalt so we will see on Thursday what the changes are like. We&rsquo;re not looking at the Championship yet and I just focus race by race, same as always&rdquo;. At a track where he won two of three races in 2021, the aim is clear: "The goal is only to fight for the win, and after the great feeling and very strong performance in Donington I am excited to ride my R1 again, but we will see what is possible.&rdquo; Translated by Heather Watson WorldSBK, new rider for Pedercini: international debut for Ryan Vickers at Most       

A new battle is about to begin for the three most competitive riders. This is what they had to say ahead of the sixth round, as the championship reaches its halfway point

WorldSBK: here’s what Bautista, Rea and Razgatlioglu think ahead of Most

        Arag&oacute;n is the stage for the first races of the year but that&rsquo;s not all. The Motorland track will not only host the season-opener and the official test days on the preceding Monday and Tuesday but is also the setting for some all-blue testing. The Alca&ntilde;iz-based circuit will in fact welcome the Yamaha fleet (almost) in its entirety, with the factory team and satellite GRT and Gil Motorsport squads all taking to the track. The only team missing will be Motoxracing, of which we know little to nothing as yet. First laps of 2022  It&rsquo;s no accident that the teams have selected the Spanish track, as the undulating Motorland layout has often proved tricky for the R1. Consider that the Iwata manufacturer&rsquo;s last win at the track dates back to 2011, with Marco Melandri. A trend that has become something of a curse, although this could be broken by a certain Toprak Razgatlioglu, who flexed his muscles at the previous Portim&atilde;o tests, rounding out the sessions on top of the pile and setting a new track record to boot. Keen to make the most of this upcoming test is the GRT team, absent from all previous 2021/2022 winter tests. &ldquo;I am super excited to get back on my Yamaha R1 after four months off the bike&rdquo;, confirms Garret Gerloff. &ldquo;It was way too long and I am hoping for good weather even though it is not looking the best. Anyway just being again on the bike will be awesome and I cannot wait to see again the whole GRT team, my extended family, again!" And Kohta Nozane is equally enthusiastic, ready to dive into his second year in the production-derived championship. &ldquo;I am thrilled to start this new season. My first year in World Superbike was not easy but I learned a lot and I am ready for 2022 championship. We will begin our campaign from Aragon and first of all we will regain confidence with the R1 and planning the job with my crew. I cannot wait to see again the team after a long time." Translated by Heather Watson SBK, let the unveiling begin: 2022 team presentations       

Both the factory team and the GRT and Gil Motorsport satellite outfits will be in action at Motorland today and tomorrow, hard at work at what is one of the most challenging tracks for the R1

SBK: the Yamaha fleet is at Aragón for a two-day test

        The celebrations following Razgatlioglu&rsquo;s title and the Triple Crown (riders', constructors&rsquo; and team title) are not over yet for Yamaha. After all, the last time it won the Superbike title was back in 2009 with rookie Ben Spies. And so, to properly celebrate this incredible 2021 season, the official R1 Race Replica of the bike that saw Toprak Razgatlioglu become the first ever Turkish World Superbike champion has now been presented online. Only 21 units of the bike will be produced at the Crescent team&rsquo;s factory and it will be for track use only. Bike features  As a faithful replica of the official bike, it has all the same equipment as the current world championship winning bike: 205 hp, latest generation GYTR electronics, a WorldSBK spec Akrapovic exhaust, 175 kg weight, Ohlins suspension and Marchesini wheels, as well as the Brembo braking system and details to match that of the #54 R1. The benefits for those who buy  The R1 Race Replica will be sold at a price of 39,500 GBP and the lucky owners will benefit from a whole host of added benefits: - A limited edition badge -&nbsp; A framed certificate of purchase, signed personally by Razgatlioglu and Paul Denning and bearing both the series number and purchaser&rsquo;s details - Two VIP Yamaha hospitality passes for a 2022 WorldSBK event of the purchaser&rsquo;s choosing, VIP team guest, garage visit and the possibility to spend time with Razgatlioglu - Customised bike set-up and track sessions with James Hillier or Niall Mackenzie - A piece of 2021 clothing worn by Razgatlioglu and signed by Toprak himself Translated by Heather Watson SSP: Manzi ready to change paddock, Yamaha and VR46 hard at work       

Produced in just 21 units to celebrate a fantastic 2021 in which Yamaha scored the Triple Crown, it can be ordered from the Crescent team at a cost of 39,500 GBP

SBK: Yamaha presents the Razgatlioglu R1 Race Replica

        Happy like never before, surrounded by journalists and grinning from ear to ear, Toprak Razgatlioglu had said: "I&rsquo;ve always used 54, because that was Kenan Sofuoglu&rsquo;s number. I really like it, but it&rsquo;s also true that Yamaha has never run with the number 1 in SBK. So I&rsquo;ll do that next year". This is what he had to say at Mandalika, after which he returned home to an array of celebrations and ceremonies. But since being home, the Turk has clearly reflected and had a rethink. Razgatlioglu, a heart divided  Knowing him as we do, we can imagine that Toprak is keen to please everyone, or rather Sofuoglu and Yamaha, both of which have supported him in his fight for the production-derived title. And so we can understand why the 25-year old may want to kill two birds with one stone. Honouring sultan Kenan while also paying tribute to the Iwata manufacturer. Perfect. And all while maintaining a certain style, because the new graphics feature blue details to match his R1, the colour of the best medal, or rather gold, his national flag and&hellip; the number 1, the number of champions.  1?? ? pic.twitter.com/HZgOkn9fus &mdash; Toprak Razgatl?o?lu (@toprak_tr54) December 1, 2021    Translated by Heather Watson Moto2, Cuzari: &ldquo;Baldassarri? We did everything. He needs to rebuild, mentally&rdquo;       

On winning the title in Indonesia, Toprak had said he would do away with the number he inherited from Kenan Sofuoglu in favour of the number 1. But to kill two birds with one stone, the Turk will ride with both on the 2022 Yamaha

SBK, Razgatlioglu thinks again: no farewell to 54, and hello number 1

Toprak Razgatlioglu often talked about just how much Turkey wanted to see his title dream become a reality one day and, now that this has happened, there will be celebrations across the country. It&rsquo;s not every day that a country like Turkey gets a home-grown world champion, and so celebrations are definitely in order.  Airport surprise   Toprak best be ready for the parties, and these began before the Yamaha rider even arrived home. As he landed in Jakarta (from Lombok), Razgatlioglu was the guest of honour at a surprise party, hastily organised by Turkish Airlines.  A delegation from the company presented Toprak with a big commemorative cake. A prelude of what&rsquo;s to come over the next few days, when Turkey will celebrate its first ever WorldSBK champion in style.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP, Stoner and Rossi as team-mates? &ldquo;Somebody at Yamaha didn&#39;t want me&rdquo; 

As the champion travelled home, Turkish Airways presented him with a cake on his arrival at Jakarta airport. The first of many celebrations

WorldSBK: surprise party for Toprak Razgatlioglu

After twelve thrilling rounds, the day has finally come. The brand-new Mandalika track is ready to stage the final battle between Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea, as the pair fight for the world title at the end of what has surely become one of the most exciting WorldSBK championships of the last twenty years.  The Turkish rider arrives in Indonesia with 531 points, while the six-time champion holds 501. Razgatlioglu can therefore count on a 30-point advantage that, at least on paper, puts him in a hard-to-dent comfort zone.  When the victory is not enough   As for Rea, his mission is not a simple one. Johnny must essentially aim to win all three races, but even this might not be enough. If the Kawasaki rider were to &lsquo;do the triple&rsquo;, all Toprak would need to do is finish fourth in all the races to be crowned champion, albeit by a whisker.  Why by a whisker? Because in that situation, the two championship leaders would finish with the same points tally, but Razgatlioglu would ultimately win, having amassed the most race 1 and race 2 wins over the course of the season, or rather eleven to Johnny&rsquo;s seven. So all this simply means that, to become champion, Johnny must win and hope that Toprak finishes lower than fourth in all three races.  A scenario that is hard to imagine if we look at the Turk&rsquo;s recent performance but a number of outsiders (Redding and Rinaldi for starters) and particularly the unknown factor relating to the new Mandalika circuit could shake things up. All we can do is wait for the weekend, when we will enjoy the show and finally see who will lift the 2021 championship trophy.  Translated by Heather Watson  SSP, Mandalika to salute Aegerter,the last &ldquo;canonical&quot; Champion in the class 

The Yamaha rider arrives in Indonesia with a thirty-point advantage to manage. Johnny&rsquo;s target is simple &ndash; to win and hope for a helping hand from the outsiders

WorldSBK, Rea vs Razgatlioglu at Mandalika: the combinations for the title

        Are we so sure that Toprak Razgatlioglu has already pocketed the 2021 SBK title? We remain impartial here of course but, knowing Johnny, we don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s game over quite yet. The Turkish leader does have something like a 30-point advantage over the Cannibal but, having followed the championship closely, we want to point out a few episodes in which the number 54 rider has been involved. The Garrett Gerloff incident at Assen, the Yamaha R1 struck dumb at Barcelona, the suicidal mudguard at Portimao. Whether down to bad luck or human error, these episodes have had a significant bearing on the standings. Sure, the six-time champion had also had his troubles, a few too many falls impacting on his season. Basically, it&rsquo;s still game on between the two, which means that every single click of the fork and choice of tyre can prove decisive. Mandalika, an unknown for everyone  Will the championship head to Indonesia or not? We hope so, but await further news as to the completion and homologation of the circuit. If the season were to finish on the island of Lombok, it would be a new experience for everyone. No one would be able to say that their rival has an advantage because of any recent tests because no one will be testing. Let alone down there. Considering that the crates are already on their way to South East Asia, the riders will not see their bikes again until the race weekend, which may begin on the Thursday, to allow riders to get to know the new circuit. Unless the event is cancelled in favour of another. We hope not, but there is a chance that the season will finish in Europe, considering current issues. But where? Valencia would be one thing, Estoril quite another. And Razga and Rea are aware of this. A 30-point lead, 62 on the table, but consider the psychology  As we&rsquo;ve said, Toprak has an extra 30 points compared to Johnny. OK. And there are 62 still up for grabs. Right. Then factor in the stress. Rea is cunning when he says all the pressure will be on Razgatlioglu&rsquo;s shoulders. As if to say: "Eh, you&rsquo;re out front but I&rsquo;m chasing you. And I can watch your moves. Also, I have nothing to lose or prove. Unlike you, my dear rival&rdquo;. A tactic or the truth? Both really, as the number 1 knows all about title fights. While it&rsquo;s true that the Turk dominated in race 1 at Villicum &ndash; thanks also to an error by Scott Redding &ndash; before also going on to win the Tissot Superpole Race, it&rsquo;s also true that he suffered in the last race, one which was won by Redding. Grip issues, or stress-related issues? It can all change in just one race ladies and gentleman. Translated by Heather Watson WorldSBK, Sykes' knee? The real fracture is with BMW       

Toprak heads into the last round with a 30-point lead over Rea. With 62 points still up for grabs, every detail could make the difference - bike, tyres, stress and psychology

WorldSBK, are we sure Razgatlioglu has already won the title?

Despite Toprak Razgatlioglu having his first championship match point at the San Juan Villicum circuit this weekend, the Turk prefers not to think about the title but rather focus on each race at a track where he was on the podium in both 2019 and 2018 (with four third-place finishes). His team-mate Andrea Locatelli will have to get to grips with a new track but still sets himself significant targets.  A weekend like any other   The Argentinian track features some hard braking areas, a long straight and more flowing sections and Razgatlioglu admits: &ldquo;I like the circuit in San Juan, and had some podiums there before &ndash; but we will see. I always say, I am focused only on fighting for the win in the next race, the championship is still changing every weekend!&rdquo; And yet, the Turk heads into the penultimate round with a 24-point lead over rival Jonathan Rea.  His mind remains focused on the upcoming weekend: &ldquo;The team are working hard to give me a good bike every time and every race, every session we are improving. We will work to find the best race set-up on Friday with race simulation in Free Practice and then we will see&rdquo;.  A good first take?   With four podiums already under his belt, category rookie Andrea Locatelli is ready to add to his tally and fight for fourth place in the championship: &ldquo;Argentina is a completely new track for me, so we have some catching up to do but I think we can do very well there&rdquo;, he comments.  It might all be new, but &quot;Loka&quot; remains as hungry as ever: &ldquo;My goal is to close the gap to the front group and score some good points for the championship. For sure, it will not be easy because the competition is so strong, but we work so well together with the team&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  WorldSBK, Sykes&#39; knee? The real fracture is with BMW 

The leader will approach the San Juan Villicum round as if it were any event, flanked by his rookie team-mate, a stranger to the track

Razgatlioglu: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not thinking about the championship, only the race&rdquo;

The San Juan Villicum circuit in Argentina could be the stage for the Superbike 2021 title presentation. An extremely competitive and unpredictable battle between Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea moves overseas, the Turk now having a first opportunity to secure his first trophy in this category. But it will be far from easy and Rea is more than ready to ruin the party.  The highly-anticipated head to head   Having crashed in Portugal due to a mechanical problem, Razgatlioglu is now 24 points ahead of Rea, an advantage that he needs to extend to at least 62 if he wants to finish the job and head on to Indonesia as world champion. Difficult, but not impossible, if we consider the many plot twists we&rsquo;ve seen so far this season. The Argentinian track is a favourable one for the Northern Irish rider, who&rsquo;s won four out of five races and always reached the podium there. If he were to win Race 1, the title fight would continue in Asia. The Yamaha rider has scored four podiums at San Juan Villicum to date and can now also count on perfect feeling aboard his R1.  An all-Italian battle   Meanwhile, it&rsquo;s a brand-new track for the other Iwata rider, Andrea Locatelli, a rookie in the class. He will be keen to run up front and increase his podium tally. And also adding to the excitement of the fight are the Ducatis of Scott Redding, mathematically still in the running for the title (54 points from the leader), and Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who is up against fellow countryman Locatelli for fourth place in the championship. Let&rsquo;s not forget BMW either, following its Portimao win with Michael van der Mark, and Honda, a podium sitter with Alvaro Bautista in recent races.  Translated by Heather Watson  SSP600, separate classifications in 2022 &ndash; necessary or risky? 

The championship heads into its penultimate round of the season with an exciting title fight that sees the Yamaha rider with a first opportunity to secure the trophy. But Jonathan Rea won&rsquo;t give up easily

WorldSBK, first match point for Razgatlioglu in Argentina

        The title fight between Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu is becoming increasingly exciting, one of the greatest battles motorcycling has seen in recent years in fact. So much so that it has also attracted the attention of the MotoGP riders, who tell the official WorldSBK website that they&rsquo;re following the Johnny-Razga duel with interest. Fabio Quartararo and Brad Binder  &ldquo;I&rsquo;m following it closely, the last race was a lot of fun&rdquo; admits championship leader Fabio Quartararo. &ldquo;Both suffered crashes but are still there, so there&rsquo;s going to be a really exciting championship finale. On our side, at Yamaha, we have to support Toprak of course. I also saw my friend Loris Baz score two podiums at Portimao. It&rsquo;s going to be a really interesting finale&rdquo;. &ldquo;I love watching WorldSBK! It makes my Sundays better&rdquo;, comments KTM rider Brad Binder. &ldquo;It looks like a really good fight, Johnny and his experience versus Toprak and his strength, he&rsquo;s insane on the brakes&rdquo;. Valentino Rossi and Franco Morbidelli  Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi doesn&rsquo;t want to hedge his bets either way: &ldquo;it&rsquo;s a great battle, one of the best of recent years, because you have two top riders, always there and so close. Who will win? It&rsquo;s hard to say. Before Portimao race 2, I&rsquo;d have said Toprak, but now Johnny is 24 points behind and it&rsquo;s easier for him to catch up&rdquo;. The other Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli sees Razgatlioglu as the favourite: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s still wide open, both are incredible riders and are battling hard for this title. I think Toprak has a chance, but he&rsquo;ll need to do a really good job. I wish them both the best of luck". Franco Morbidelli, Jack Miller and Pol Espargaro  An opinion shared by Pecco Bagnaia: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a finale to watch. It&rsquo;s always great to see a really close battle where the contenders are separated by just a few points&rdquo;. Ducati rider Jack Miller reveals he sent a message of support to the Turk after he crashed in the second Portuguese race: &ldquo;That was a pity, it looked like a mechanical problem but he&rsquo;s ridden phenomenally all year. He&rsquo;s fantastic&rdquo;. Lastly, Pol Espargaro touches on the behaviour of the pair: &ldquo;They are both respectful of each other but race hard. I like to see racing like that, as it makes for a really passionate show for the fans&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson WorldSSP, Jeffrey Buis to debut with the 600 in Argentina       

The Kawasaki number 1 and the Yamaha ace continue to fight it out for the 2021 SBK title, but who will come out on top? This is what the MotoGP riders think, from Valentino Rossi to Franco Morbidelli

The MotoGP riders: “The Rea-Razga battle? One of the greatest of all time”

        And here we are, ready for the final round of the SBK triple-header - Portim&atilde;o. What kind of track is the Autodromo do Algarve? A fast, spectacular, technical and demanding one, with its ups and downs, blind spots and jumps. A combination that clearly suits Johnny Rea, the winner of twelve races in Portugal. Even with the Honda &ndash; not to take anything away from the Fireblade he rode to victory &ndash; and then with the Kawasaki. Yes, the 2020 triple win confirms just how well the Northern Irishman and his Ninja are able to interpret one of the championship&rsquo;s best-loved tracks. But will this be true again this year? Will the Atlantic Ocean boost the Cannibal&rsquo;s share price, the rider not having won a race since Assen? The hypothetical favourite, number 1 is chasing Toprak Razgatlioglu, the Turkish ace currently 20 points ahead in the standings. Considering that the young rider from Ballymena debuted in the production-derived class in 2008 and that his CV at this track is what it is&hellip; if he can&rsquo;t do better than his direct rival, will it be game over? Razga stronger in the head-to-head, Redding and Rinaldi with nothing to lose  This year it&rsquo;s like this, at least for now. In a head-to-head, Toprak beats Johnny. With a few exceptions, Razgatlioglu is the man who makes the definitive move in a duel with Rea. And holds it to the line. Unless a Ducati is in the mix, the V4 R of Scott Redding or Michael Ruben Rinaldi. Portim&atilde;o could actually be a good track for the Aruba duo, the Englishman and the Italo-Venezuelan also among the favourites this weekend. Number 45 is still in the title fight, mathematically-speaking. He&rsquo;s also suffering less than the leading pair, as he&rsquo;s under less pressure in terms of the expectations. So, to sum up, Rea has seen more success in Portugal than anyone. OK. But Razgatlioglu is going like a bullet train. And the two factory Ducati riders might tip the balance as far as the R1 and ZX-10RR are concerned. This is all pure theory though, so we&rsquo;ll see what happens on track. Stay tuned. Translated by Heather Watson WorldSBK, Tito Rabat at Portimao with the Puccetti Ninja       

The undulating Portuguese track is historically a hunting ground for the Cannibal, who needs to make up 20 points to Razgatlioglu. In case of defeat, will the six-time champ be waving the white flag?

WorldSBK, Portimao the last resort for Jonathan Rea?

Johnny Rea says that it will be key to avoid any kind of mistake during the SBK triple-header and he has good reason, seeing as Toprak Razgatlioglu currently leads the way in the standings and wants to keep it that way until the very end. The Turk will only let up once he&rsquo;s secured the title trophy. Or maybe not even then.  In the meantime, the Pata Yamaha with Brixx ace needs to tackle the Barcelona &#39;test&#39;, a track at which number 54 struggled quite a bit in 2020, an injury ruling him out of the fight on the Sunday: &quot;Barcelona was not easy last year, but for me, everything is different this year. My team, the bike and everything works together very well, and even from the test at the start of this year, I feel stronger at every track&rdquo;.  Kenan Sofuoglu&rsquo;s pupil once again has clear ideas: &quot;I always say, I am not looking at the championship but I know every race I need good points. I only focus on the next session, the next race and try for the win. We will work and prepare with my team the best we can on Friday, to make a race simulation and find the set-up, then we will see&rdquo;.  Locatelli aims to do a good job   Andrea is solid and already mature. The Italian rookie has competed at the Catalunya Circuit on many occasions, in Moto3, Moto2 and with the 600: &quot;I have really good memories in Barcelona, because it was where we won the FIM Supersport World Championship last year! I know the track so well and we had a good test there at the start of the season, so I know already where the reference is for the superbike.&quot;  Loka knows it&rsquo;ll be a real battle, once again: &quot;It won&rsquo;t be easy because the top riders are very fast, but I think we will arrive in Barcelona a little bit more ready than before, and maybe we can stay closer to the front. We will see, and of course we will try for the maximum&quot;.  Translated by Heather Watson  WoldSBK, Razgatlioglu heads to Barcelona to conquer the Kawasaki fort 

Toprak leads the way, but heads to Montmel&oacute; without thinking about the championship: &ldquo;My team, the bike and me work well together. I&rsquo;m going for the win and as many points as possible&quot;. Locatelli: &quot;I&rsquo;ll be closer to the leaders, the test has helped&quot;

WorldSBK, Razgatlioglu: &ldquo;Barcelona tough in 2020, but now I&rsquo;m strong everywhere&rdquo;

Barcelona and the Montmel&oacute; round represent part one of the SBK triple-header comprising Catalunya, Jerez de la Frontera and Portim&atilde;o. Great, also because the production-derived bikes are more battle-ready than ever, in a season that&rsquo;s proving to be a real show.  Considering the championship standings - Razgatlioglu with 370 points, Rea 363, and Redding 298 &ndash; we&rsquo;re in for yet another battle of the three Rs, with Toprak and Johnny leading the way in the title fight. The trend lies with the Turkish Yamaha rider, though he was &quot;fooled&quot; at Magny-Cours, the effects of which will continue to be felt in Spain.  And this is why the Turk will want to finish ahead of the Cannibal as much as possible. To &quot;get revenge&quot; for what happened in France, and he wouldn&rsquo;t mind beating the six-time champ at his home round either. But isn&rsquo;t that Donington Park (and where he already did so)? Yes, but just down the round from the Barcelona circuit is the HQ of KRT Provec, the factory team linked to Kawasaki.  Redding to tip the balance? Ducati and the Italians sure to stand out   Scott can be quick with his Panigale V4 R at Barcelona, Jerez and Portim&atilde;o. The 2020 stats say so, and this is confirmed by the fact he continues to be the strongest Ducati rider. So in the Razga-Rea fight, the Italian will serve to tip the balance, whether he likes it or not.  At the Catalunya Circuit &ndash; ready to host the SBK for only the second time &ndash; we also expect strong performances from the young Italian trio made up of Andrea Locatelli, Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Axel Bassani.  The event also sees the return of Samuele Cavalieri, who did well during the first three rounds of the season. So, the Italian troops have everything they need to do well. While the red bike arrives as the favourite, both for its performance and because Montmel&oacute; has the characteristics to showcase its power along the straight and stability through the turns.  Translated by Heather Watson  WorldSBK: Samuele Cavalieri to return to Barni Racing as of Barcelona 

The Turk knows that the Montmel&oacute; circuit is just a stone&rsquo;s throw from Johnny Rea&rsquo;s team KRT Provec base, which will need to defend itself from a Yamaha attack. For Redding and Ducati a last chance to remain aboard the train to success

WoldSBK, Razgatlioglu heads to Barcelona to conquer the Kawasaki fort

        If you&rsquo;re nostalgic and convinced that "things were better back when...", then maybe don&rsquo;t read on. Or rather, do read on, because today&rsquo;s bombshell is a good one. And here it is: Razgatlioglu and Rea are better than Bayliss and Edwards! My gosh, you're probably saying, what have you been drinking to write such a thing? Calm down, the Prosecco DOC is on ice for later, to enjoy while we read your comments on Facebook. And now we&rsquo;ll explain our reasoning, so get comfortable. The fact is that Toprak and Johnny are caught up in a very close battle, on a wire at more than 300 km/h, duelling without calculation or conjecture. Troy and Colin did much the same, we know, but today&rsquo;s fight is different, because it also involves protests, penalties, cryptic words, wobbly friendships and social irony. A fantastic Imola 2002, albeit a repeatable one  Your writer was there at Santerno that autumn in 2002 and had already been a regular in the world championship paddocks for many years, partly out of passion and then, step by step, to build the contacts, knowledge and tools with which to try and learn a trade. The battle at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit was fantastic, on a stage that only Formula 1 or the historic 200 Miglia competitors would usually see. Two heroes in a field that included the kind of names that still give us goosebumps now, Bayliss and Edwards fought for supremacy all season long. The American ultimately got the better of the Australian, with a final celebration that saw the reciprocal exchange of compliments make international news. Both were set to move to MotoGP, their minds already on their new adventure. And therein lies the question - if Razga and Rea, so close in the standings, were to reach the end of the 2021 in a similar situation, would they exchange smiles, compliments and parting words? Mmm, we have our doubts, or rather, yes, the pair would demonstrate fair play, but remember what happened in France, the KRT Kawasaki team requesting the penalty inflicted on the Yamaha rider (a move criticised by Locatelli). If that&rsquo;s not war... WorldSBK Magny-Cours, riders&rsquo; standings: Razgatlioglu and Rea neck and neck Diversity and a past to remember  The Turk and the Northern Irishman have rather different social, human, behavioural and cultural characteristics, this is clear from watching their interviews and looking at their pictures. Bayliss and Edwards, on the other hand, were a little similar, both cowboys, both brusque. And this is why they understood each other. Toprak and Johnny understand each other better on track, where they go shoulder to shoulder just as Troy and Colin once did. Even more so at times and, considering the extent to which the electronics impact on the dynamics of a race and how much harder it is to make passes today, we must admit that Sofuoglu&rsquo;s pupil and the Ballymena native are putting on a show that is in no way inferior to what we&rsquo;ve seen in the past. Let&rsquo;s not forget another important detail. Toprak was already in the Kawasaki orbit, with Puccetti, so theoretically already inside the green tunnel. But someone or something took his "Green Pass" away, which led #54 to sign with Yamaha. Who was it to throw a spanner in the works? Why didn&rsquo;t Toprak move to the factory team? Come on, the answer&rsquo;s staring you in the face. Translated by Heather Watson WorldSBK, Razgatlioglu and his &ldquo;stoppie&rdquo;. Do you think it's dangerous?       

Toprak and Johnny are offering up a better show than we saw between Troy and Colin because, as well as fighting tooth and nail on track, the two title contenders are provoking each other in parc ferm&eacute;, in the media room, in the paddock and on social media &nbsp;

WorldSBK, Razgatlioglu versus Rea, nothing like Bayliss and Edwards

        The Superbike race weekend at Magny-Cours saw Toprak Razgatlioglu play a starring role, the rider crossing the line first in all three of the races, before having his Superpole Race win taken from him. He even celebrated with a &lsquo;stoppie&rsquo; on his Yamaha R1 as he finished the first race, something he&rsquo;d long wanted to do. A hazardous or memorable move?  &ldquo;I adore the Magny Cours track - he explained - and as I&rsquo;d been wanting to do a stoppie across the line after a win for a long time, I decided to do it here, seeing as the finish line is very close to the exit from the last corner&rdquo;. An acrobatic move, but one that Scott Redding deemed &ldquo;dangerous&rdquo;. Toprak replied by saying that motorcycling is, in general, dangerous. And so we put it to you - who do you agree with? Was Toprak&rsquo;s move too aggressive and something to be avoided at such a significant moment, or was it simply spectacular to see him cross the line like that? Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Jarvis: &ldquo;Razgatlioglu is determined to stay in WorldSBK, for now&rdquo;       

In race 1 at Magny-Cours, the Turk crossed the line on his front wheel, but one of his rivals deemed it dangerous. Do you agree? &nbsp;

WorldSBK, Razgatlioglu and his “stoppie”. Do you think it’s dangerous?

        The man of the moment in Superbike is Toprak Razgatlioglu, championship leader with the same points as Jonathan Rea, the Turk having proved that he is more than able to hinder the progress of the six-time champ. The next battle will play out this weekend, at Magny-Cours, with the Yamaha factory rider having attracted the interest of Lin Jarvis, who wants to move him to MotoGP as soon as possible. The two parties have already met. There has been a meeting  The Red Bull Ring paddock was the backdrop for the first meeting and the Brit told BT Sport: "Toprak and his management were in Austria and we were able to talk a little. The conversation about his future was really nice&rdquo;. But this doesn&rsquo;t mean that it went to plan, at least for now. Yamaha was keen to bring the Turk over to MotoGP, on the Malaysian team, but this project is postponed for now: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s determined to stay in Superbike and wants to win a championship or two in that category&rdquo;, explains Jarvis. He is also very happy where he is, his manager Kenan Sofuogflu confirming that he&rsquo;ll remain in the production-derived series for at least two more seasons. The Brit looks to the future with optimism  As for a timeframe, Jarvis goes on to explain: "He can&rsquo;t wait to become champion this year before deciding whether to switch championships as the seasons finishes too late. He&rsquo;ll clearly compete in Superbike again in 2022&rdquo;. This is clear and it is perhaps for this reason that Andrea Dovizioso has now been confirmed as the &lsquo;new-entry&rsquo; on Razlan Razali&rsquo;s team. "But if this year he were to become champion and he continues to ride well next year, then why not bring him over here?&rdquo; muses Jarvis. He&rsquo;s talking about 2023, but only time will tell. Translated by Heather Watson WorldSBK, Rea: &ldquo;Magny-Cours suits the characteristics of the Ninja&rdquo;       

The Yamaha MD&rsquo;s interest in the Turkish rider is undeniable and he's not giving up with a view to the future

MotoGP, Jarvis: “Razgatlioglu is determined to stay in WorldSBK, for now”

Pata Yamaha with Brixx the strongest and most well-rounded team on the SBK grid right now. This is confirmed by the results Razgatlioglu and Locatelli have scored to date, Toprak just three points from leader Johnny Rea, having won two of the races at Most.  Andrea was back on the podium, and is proving to be one of the championship&rsquo;s frontrunners. The factory team therefore heads to Navarra with quite ambitious and understandable goals, the title well within its reach.  And the Turk, undecided as to a possible future in MotoGP, knows that victory is possible. Although his words explain his attitude on track: &quot;If I think about the championship I feel stressed, and this is why I focus solely on winning races, always. This is the best way for me&quot;.  Navarra tried and tested   Paul Denning and the Crescent team have already visited Los Arcos. And number 54 appreciates the track&rsquo;s characteristics: &quot;I like the track in Navarra &ndash; it is different with some fast and slow parts which suits my style. We had a good test there two months ago and I felt good with the R1. We will see on Friday, in practice we will focus on making a good set-up for the races&rdquo;.  Like everyone, Loka is keen to discover the Navarra track. But the Italian is a rookie who is already able to reach the podium: &quot;I feel like I can now start to fight with the first group on track &ndash; in Most this was really nice and it was a new track for almost everyone. We have a good base setting from the test in Navarra, so I hope we can continue in the same way. The feeling with the R1 is coming more and more easy for me and the goal is to be able to push in every round to compete at the front&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  WorldSBK, Rea considers Navarra: &ldquo;Unlike Most, we&#39;ve already ridden there&rdquo; 

Toprak refers to the title fight: &quot;This is why I prefer to focus on winning each race. I like Navarra, it suits my style&rdquo;. Locatelli: &ldquo;I can fight with the leading group&quot;

WorldSBK, Razgatlioglu: &ldquo;If I think about the championship I feel stressed&rdquo;

Navarra, what can we expect? The Spanish track is the fifty-first circuit to host a WorldSBK round and is located in the north of the country. Specifically, the track is located in Los Arcos, a rural town not far from Bilbao, but closer to Pamplona.  Almost all the riders have tested the track in recent months, but just like the recent Most round, the seventh 2021 round will be interesting in terms of the excitement a new track offers.  Most again offered up a three-way battle between Rea, Razgatlioglu and Redding. Johnny leads the way with 266 points, Toprak is three behind, while Scott holds 216. Although the Northern Irish rider leads the way, the Englishman is currently on a roll, more so than the Turk.  Love encourages Redding, the strongest ducatista in 2021   You know the phrase &quot;And they lived happily ever after&quot;? And so it is that we wish Redding and his future bride all the very best, Scott and Jacey Hayden now ready to start a life together. Congrats! But in the meantime, there&rsquo;s an SBK title to win and number 45 knows it.  He&rsquo;s doing his best, spurred on by the fact he&rsquo;s the strongest ducatista on track right now. The bulldog hasn&rsquo;t yet renewed his contract for 2022, because it also depends on the (possible) arrival of Alvaro Bautista or Danilo Petrucci. Ducati needs to consider its next moves carefully.  Scott, third in the standings and 50 points from Rea, is well aware of this and is in shape. And he&rsquo;s winning. To date, Redding has scored three partial wins. No one has managed it with the current V4 R, a competitive but rather unique bike.  Razg-attack puts Yamaha in the title mix   Did you see the kind of move Toprak made on Redding? Well that perfectly sums up the Turk&rsquo;s repertoire &ndash; speed, acrobatics, daring and determination. With these traits, Kenan Sofuoglu&rsquo;s pupil has already been able to project Yamaha into first place overall.  The R1 M appears to be the most complete Superbike on the grid - Ducati is strong in acceleration, the Kawasaki is precise, but the blue four-cylinder is the real all-rounder. And we apologise for not citing Honda and BMW but&hellip; you know how it is, the CBR and the M1000 RR appearing fairly inconsistent.  The Pata with Brixx team on the other hand seems very solid, Toprak and rookie Andrea Locatelli both very strong. The Iwata contingent has also tested at Navarra, so it will be an equal playing field come the race weekend.  Rea and Kawasaki, a winning pair on the defensive   Six titles, no small feat. Johnny and the Ninja make for a winning team, confirmed by both the stats and their rivals. Although there may be a few doubts, in this precise moment, about the real capabilities of the ZX-10RR, the impression being that the Akashi team&rsquo;s performance has plateaued somewhat since the start of the year.  We&rsquo;ll see whether this is the case at Navarra. The Cannibal didn&rsquo;t excel at Most, and so he will want to make up for what he lost in the Czech Republic. Two consecutive crashes leave a mark, luckily not a physical one in his case, but perhaps an emotional one.  Also consider the fact that while Redding often has other Ducatis with him up front, and Razgatlioglu can count on Locatelli (though less so on Gerloff), the number 1 rider is &ndash; on the contrary &ndash; the only man in green to stand out. How long can he hold on?  Translated by Heather Watson  WorldSBK, Razgatlioglu: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;ll go to MotoGP&rdquo; 

Johnny is hunted by Toprak, and Scott is closing in: the fifty-first track to host a WorldSBK round will stage another battle between the three &#39;R&#39;s

WorldSBK: Navarra ready for a Rea - Razgatlioglu - Redding battle

Guests at the Red Bull Ring included Toprak Razgatlioglu, a current Superbike title contender with Yamaha. The Turk was surprised by what he saw, telling the worldsbk.com website: &ldquo;I hadn&rsquo;t been to this paddock since 2014, when I was racing in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, but it&rsquo;s incredible now. It&rsquo;s like a city. In Superbike it&rsquo;s more relaxed, here there are many people, trucks, but it&rsquo;s exciting too&rdquo;.  How likely is it that we&rsquo;ll see him in MotoGP?   Whether he&rsquo;ll return to the paddock as a rider one day, no one knows as yet, Toprak himself confirming: &ldquo;My dream has always been to become Superbike champion. I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;ll come to MotoGP one day, my priority is to stay in Superbike but we&rsquo;ll see. We&rsquo;ve spoken with Lin Jarvis, as we did in 2020 too, and I thank him&rdquo;.  In the meantime, he was able to take a look at the riders on track and had this to say: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been watching them all. I don&rsquo;t think Marc Marquez has found the right feeling with the bike yet, he needs to improve on that for next year, Jorge Martin is very fast. I last rode with him in 2013 in the Red Bull Rookies Cup and Fabio Quartararo is also very fast. He&rsquo;s my favourite rider and we&rsquo;re friends, we speak every weekend&rdquo;.  Ahead of round seven   Just a few days before the Navarra round in Spain, Toprak analyses his season so far: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m pleased about this season, because it&rsquo;s the first time I&rsquo;m so close to Jonathan, also in the championship. Yamaha is competitive. Rea gets stronger race after race and I am always trying to do my best to score championship points&rdquo;.  There&rsquo;s still a long battle ahead, although he admits: &ldquo;After the crash in the last Assen race, I thought the championship was over, but then I won twice at Most and we&rsquo;re back. Now there&rsquo;s just a three-point difference&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP: Yamaha, goodbye continuity 

The Turk was a Yamaha guest at the Austrian GP, where he spoke about his dreams and was able to see the world championship riders in action

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