2019 Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu will compete for BMW’s factory team in the World Superbike Championship next year following his departure from Yamaha.
Razgatlioglu’s hiring is expected to boost the fortunes of BMW, which has been unable to take the challenge to Kawasaki, Ducati and Yamaha since it returned to WSBK in factory capacity in 2019.
Razgatlioglu has been racing with Yamaha in WSBK since 2020 and won the title in his second campaign with the Japanese marque, ending a barren run for the brand stretching back to Ben Spies’ championship success in 2009.
Razgatlioglu was being considered for a potential move to MotoGP in 2024 with Yamaha and even tested its M1 at Jerez recently, although a lack of a satellite outfit meant the chances of such a switch were always low.
It is unclear if Razgatlioglu will replace Scott Redding or van der Mark at BMW next year. Redding was expected to lead the German marque to new heights after joining BMW from Ducati in 2022, but his results at the team have fallen short of expectations. Redding is understood to have an option for 2024.
