Epic Estoril WorldSBK battles, KTM’s tough run in MotoGP, the latest on the 2023 rider market and Valentino Rossi’s best Mugello moments - just some of the topics on this week’s Crash.net MotoGP podcast featuring Keith Huewen.
With MotoGP taking a weekend off, much of the world’s two-wheeled attention was on the Estoril WorldSBK event, where reigning champion and potential 2023 MotoGP rider Toprak Razgatlioglu narrowly lost out to Jonathan Rea and Alvaro Bautista during three breathtaking races.
“Yamaha would be mad to overlook Toprak for MotoGP next year,” said former British champion and grand prix rider Huewen.
“World Superbike is very watchable again because of Toprak, Jonathan Rea and lately Alvaro Bautista. That first race at Estoril between Toprak and Jonathan was just incredible - they were throwing motorbikes at each other! I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
“It was stunningly skilful stuff. You would have called it reckless I think in the past, but because it was those two it was just brilliant to watch. The hairs are standing up on my arm while I’m talking about it!
“It really was something a little bit special and Toprak is special. So is Jonathan, but Jonathan is of an age where unfortunately - I still rue the day Honda didn't do what they should have done and given Jonathan Rea a factory Honda.
“But Razgatlioglu’s definitely going to MotoGP. I'm absolutely convinced. I can't believe that he won't have a top MotoGP ride in 2022.
“Money is the big problem for everyone at the moment and maybe having a couple of factory Suzuki blokes in the mix means there is a 'sale on'.
“But Kenan Sofuoglu, Toprak’s manager and five times World Supersport champion, knows the market really well. I can see Kenan being a really tough negotiator and Yamaha, well, what other choices do they have?
“Dovi won’t be staying the way things have gone. If Morbidelli doesn’t start performing, might he be in danger of going the same way? Meanwhile, you've got Razgatlioglu waiting in the wings in World Superbike.
“Mugello is traditionally the kind of weekend where some future rider announcements are made. But another knock-on of the Suzuki situation is that, if I was in team management, I'd say ‘hang on, there are still plenty of good riders available, let’s wait a bit longer and see how things play out’.”
Toprak on a MotoGP bike? ‘He's going to love it!’
Razgatlioglu is expected to try a Yamaha M1 next month, presumably with the factory test team and therefore alongside Cal Crutchlow.
The Englishman is the most successful WorldSBK rider to make the MotoGP move in the four-stroke era, courtesy of his three race wins, and so would be the perfect rider to offer initial advice and guidance to Razgatlioglu.
But will Razgatlioglu’s style suit a MotoGP bike?
“It's funny how manufacturers have this kind of DNA in the way that they make motorbikes, whether it’s the production bike through to the factory MotoGP bike,” Huewen said. “A friend of mine bought a Ducati for a track day bike recently and said, ‘it doesn’t steer very well' compared with his Yamaha.
“Remember Valentino as well as the present Yamaha MotoGP riders all use R1’s for training and track days. So what I'm saying is the DNA of the bike Toprak is used to in WorldSBK will still be there. I think Toprak will get on the MotoGP bike and he's going to love it!
