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Toprak Razgatlioglu is keeping his expectations modest ahead of his much anticipated maiden race outing with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team, insisting his first goal is simply to get a first win on the bike.

The 2021 WorldSBK Champion makes the high-profile switch to the German marque after four seasons with Yamaha in a bid to prove he can turn BMW into regular race winners and a title contender again.

BMW has enjoyed a constant presence in WorldSBK since its debut in 2010, though has only been factory-supported with the latest generation S 1000 RR/M 1000 RR since 2019.

Having mounted a title bid in 2012 with Marco Melandri – finishing 29.5 points off the top spot – BMW has only achieved a single win since the start of the 2014 WorldSBK season. 

It’s a record Razgatlioglu is keen to reverse when he makes his debut with the team at Phillip Island in just a week’s time, a target he believes is very achievable, even if he stopped short of anticipating a run at the 2024 WorldSBK title.

“The feeling with the project is very good,” he said. “Testing is very positive. We are not 100% ready but every day we are getting closer. In general, the bike isn’t bad. Every day, we are improving, and this is important. 

“I’m very excited for the first race. It’s not easy to say whether can fight for the title in 2024. If we improve the bike, we will fight for the Championship. My first goal is to get the first win with BMW. 

“We’re not so far away, I feel. I just need more time to understand and improve the bike, especially the setup. I hope we improve it and find the setup before racing.”

While Razgatlioglu’s move to BMW raised eyebrows upon its announcement, the Turk has been a revelation in pre-season testing thus far, culminating in him smashing the lap record at the most recent outing in Portimao.

The official pre-season WorldSBK test starts on Monday (Sunday evening UK time) and lasts for two days, before the opening round in Australia kicks off a couple of days later.