When smart and talented people do things that appear stupid we can either assume they remain smart and talented or have become stupid. Assuming the former my take is that BMW are committed to entering MotoGP to replace Suzuki's manufacturing slot in say 2025 or 2026 and so Toprak has joined BMW to see if he can give them a competitive bike before they and he move to MotoGP.
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Hey Everyone! May's Bike of the Month challenge is now open for entries!
Toprak to BMW in 2024
Razgatlioglu to join the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for 2024
After the announcement that he would be leaving Yamaha, Razgatlioglu will link up with BMW from 2024…
www.worldsbk.com
Very interesting development. Unfortunately for Toprak, that BMW needs a lot of work to be competitive.
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I’ll select option #3: BMW is trying to buy clout to become relevant in wsbk.
They’ve already done that and their bike is a nail. Their rider was a race winner on the Ducati and championship contender. So maybe they might get an occasional podium with Toprak but that’s itI’ll select option #3: BMW is trying to buy clout to become relevant in wsbk.
Toprak likely didn't get A) any promises about changes to the Yam SBK for next season and/or B) a sufficient pay raise from them.
BMW see his abilities and on-track commitment and paid him handsomely. Probably also promised development centered around him.
Will it be enough for them to be regular contenders for wins/podiums? Time will tell. Regardless, Yam's loss.
BMW see his abilities and on-track commitment and paid him handsomely. Probably also promised development centered around him.
Will it be enough for them to be regular contenders for wins/podiums? Time will tell. Regardless, Yam's loss.
That is correct. Probably the last too.I think Spies was the last successful WSBK rider in MotoGP...🤔
‘look at Alvaro in World. He’s killing it but couldn’t do much in moto gp. Same as Danilo
That would shock me to see BMW in moto gp. Correct me if I’m wrong, have they won anything yet? They were close with Melandri.When smart and talented people do things that appear stupid we can either assume they remain smart and talented or have become stupid. Assuming the former my take is that BMW are committed to entering MotoGP to replace Suzuki's manufacturing slot in say 2025 or 2026 and so Toprak has joined BMW to see if he can give them a competitive bike before they and he move to MotoGP.
Cal Crutchlow is the last Superbike rider to win a MotoGP race.That is correct. Probably the last too.
‘look at Alvaro in World. He’s killing it but couldn’t do much in moto gp. Same as Danilo
don’t be so sure about Alvaro, he rode uncompetitive MotoGP machinery most of his career, the first time he rode the factory Ducati at Philip Island in 2018 he got 4th. He’s also a 125cc world champ and a 250cc winner so quite a cut above the Superbike field in pedigree.
Danilo’s Ducati in SBK is in the lowest tier team.
My quote about Alvaro was more that he is an exceptional rider and still didn’t get real results. Meaning Toprak probably would be at the bottom of the field.Cal Crutchlow is the last Superbike rider to win a MotoGP race.
don’t be so sure about Alvaro, he rode uncompetitive MotoGP machinery most of his career, the first time he rode the factory Ducati at Philip Island in 2018 he got 4th. He’s also a 125cc world champ and a 250cc winner so quite a cut above the Superbike field in pedigree.
Danilo’s Ducati in SBK is in the lowest tier team.
‘It took Cal a long time to win a race . Colin edwards never did and he was a fabulous rider.
‘I think it was 1 time he almost won but crashed on last lap?
my only point is that ,too gp has changed so much and is close like moto 2 and World Superbike is much different in comparison. It speaks volumes that Toprak didn’t do very well on Yamaha gp bike . It’s not that the bike is terrible it’s just so much different to ride at this level.
If bmw are dropping the coin on Toprak maybe they're also spending some money on the bike, I'd like to see them do well, they've been there long enough now. Much as I love their bikes, the inliine 4 anyway 
I did a 4 day course with Californian Superbike School in 2010 and they supplied beemers, once I went up to race mode it frightened the crap out of me on the straight. I expected them to cleanup WSBK.
I did a 4 day course with Californian Superbike School in 2010 and they supplied beemers, once I went up to race mode it frightened the crap out of me on the straight. I expected them to cleanup WSBK.
Totally agree, Toprak would be hopeless in MotoGP, his spectacular late breaking style also wouldn't work. Almost any of the top moto2 guys would be a better choice for Yamaha. You are right Colin crashed at the chicane on the last lap at Assen (a race that Rossi was injured in) and that allowed Nicky Hayden to win his third ever win (the other two were at Laguna Seca). Nicky was very lucky to win a title for someone who never really had that many great results. He is however the only world champion to come from a Superbike background.My quote about Alvaro was more that he is an exceptional rider and still didn’t get real results. Meaning Toprak probably would be at the bottom of the field.
‘It took Cal a long time to win a race . Colin edwards never did and he was a fabulous rider.
‘I think it was 1 time he almost won but crashed on last lap?
my only point is that ,too gp has changed so much and is close like moto 2 and World Superbike is much different in comparison. It speaks volumes that Toprak didn’t do very well on Yamaha gp bike . It’s not that the bike is terrible it’s just so much different to ride at this level.
By the way Petrucci was impressive in his replacement ride last round. Sure he was at the back of the field but in the race his best lap was only 0.5 second slower than Jack Miller and Fabio. Pretty good for someone who hasn't slung a leg over a Ducati MotoGP bike in 3 years.
I'd have Miller from gp on that haufen feuchter Zunge, der über seine Haltbarkeit hinausbrennt sauerkraut eines Fahrrads.
Going to be fun next year to watch the clock wind down on that age window. Still has the odds winding up of being collected or he's practicing elbow saves over the summer break. Though he hardly crashes, that's still a plus.
Going to be fun next year to watch the clock wind down on that age window. Still has the odds winding up of being collected or he's practicing elbow saves over the summer break. Though he hardly crashes, that's still a plus.
That’s right I had forgot about that and agree the Nicky was lucky to win the world champion ship and Rossi would’ve certainly had his 8 world champion ship in another life 😄Totally agree, Toprak would be hopeless in MotoGP, his spectacular late breaking style also wouldn't work. Almost any of the top moto2 guys would be a better choice for Yamaha. You are right Colin crashed at the chicane on the last lap at Assen (a race that Rossi was injured in) and that allowed Nicky Hayden to win his third ever win (the other two were at Laguna Seca). Nicky was very lucky to win a title for someone who never really had that many great results. He is however the only world champion to come from a Superbike background.
By the way Petrucci was impressive in his replacement ride last round. Sure he was at the back of the field but in the race his best lap was only 0.5 second slower than Jack Miller and Fabio. Pretty good for someone who hasn't slung a leg over a Ducati MotoGP bike in 3 years.
I'm not so sure the BMW is a nail. Tom Sykes just jumped off the POS Puccetti Kawasaki and in his first ride on the BMW this weekend he's gained about 10 places, in FP2 he's only 0.04s behind Redding. A top 10 on a brand new (to him) bike, with no prior practice, it can't be that bad.
Interesting interview with Gerloff here that detail some of the issues. It sounds like the ingredients are there, they're just struggling to get a handle on the finer points of "by far the most tech-laden bike on the WorldSBK grid":
Garrett Gerloff BMW interview
FYI, it isn't a lack of grunt that's for sure, maybe more a case of harnessing the grunt? This from reporting around Hickman and his M1000RR at the IOM:
"Word on the street is that Peter Hickman’s FHO BMW is making 247 horsepower at the tyre, and in that is in a slightly detuned state from the 263 horsepower it produced when they first ran it up on the dyno… "
Interesting interview with Gerloff here that detail some of the issues. It sounds like the ingredients are there, they're just struggling to get a handle on the finer points of "by far the most tech-laden bike on the WorldSBK grid":
Garrett Gerloff BMW interview
FYI, it isn't a lack of grunt that's for sure, maybe more a case of harnessing the grunt? This from reporting around Hickman and his M1000RR at the IOM:
"Word on the street is that Peter Hickman’s FHO BMW is making 247 horsepower at the tyre, and in that is in a slightly detuned state from the 263 horsepower it produced when they first ran it up on the dyno… "
The proof is in Redding’s results. Race winner and title contender on the Ducati. Nowhere on the BMW. It hasn’t been competitive since Melandri and that was with a MotoGP race winner on it.I'm not so sure the BMW is a nail. Tom Sykes just jumped off the POS Puccetti Kawasaki and in his first ride on the BMW this weekend he's gained about 10 places, in FP2 he's only 0.04s behind Redding. A top 10 on a brand new (to him) bike, with no prior practice, it can't be that bad.
Interesting interview with Gerloff here that detail some of the issues. It sounds like the ingredients are there, they're just struggling to get a handle on the finer points of "by far the most tech-laden bike on the WorldSBK grid":
Garrett Gerloff BMW interview
FYI, it isn't a lack of grunt that's for sure, maybe more a case of harnessing the grunt? This from reporting around Hickman and his M1000RR at the IOM:
"Word on the street is that Peter Hickman’s FHO BMW is making 247 horsepower at the tyre, and in that is in a slightly detuned state from the 263 horsepower it produced when they first ran it up on the dyno… "
Gerloff has lost his way and wasn’t fast on the Yamaha any more so there is no expectation he’d be competitive on a worse bike
21 - 34 of 34 Posts
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