Yamaha WSBK squad signs fresh deal with Razgatlioglu
Toprak Razgatlioglu has signed a fresh two-year deal with Yamaha's factory World Superbike team, ending speculation he could take a Petronas SRT MotoGP seat in 2022.
Razgatlioglu was one of the names linked to Yamaha’s satellite MotoGP squad for 2022, which is facing losing both of its current riders for next season.
Maverick Vinales’ shock departure from the factory Yamaha squad may see current Petronas man Franco Morbidelli moved into that slot, while Valentino Rossi is looking set to retire at the end of the 2021 season.
Petronas SRT’s list of 2022 options has shrunk following the news that Razgatlioglu has committed to WSBK with Yamaha until the end of 2023 – but the Turkish rider hasn’t totally ruled out a MotoGP switch in the future.
“Yamaha has become like my family and I’m really happy to be signing for another two years,” Razgatlioglu said. “I think we’ve improved the bike a lot since I joined for the 2020 season, so it was an easy decision for me to make.
“We are fighting for the championship this year, we’re very close to the top and I have the best people around me in the Pata Yamaha with Brixx team pit box to help me achieve my goals.
“I like the WorldSBK paddock, and I’m happy racing here. Maybe MotoGP is something I will think about in the future, but for now I am focused completely on getting the job done here in WorldSBK.
“Thank you to everyone who has worked to make this happen and now I look forward to the future together with Yamaha.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu, PATA Yamaha WorldSBK Team, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Aruba.It Racing - Ducati
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Ahead of this weekend’s Donington WSBK round, Razgatlioglu sits second in the standings after registering his first win of the campaign in the second feature race last time out at Misano. He trails six-time world champion Jonathan Rea by 20 points.
Razgatlioglu’s Yamaha WSBK stablemate Garrett Gerloff – who rides for the satellite GRT squad – rode in place of Morbidelli in last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix for Petronas SRT and has expressed a desire to race in MotoGP full-time.
He remains an option for Petronas SRT in 2022, as do the team's current Moto2 riders Xavi Vierge and Jake Dixon, but Raul Fernandez has ruled himself out of the running as he is instead set to remain in the KTM family and sign with Tech 3 in MotoGP.
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