Razgatlioglu: Sachsenring despite P15 “my worst weekend”

– Purely in terms of the result, the Grand Prix of Germany race weekend at the Sachsenring was not the worst for MotoGP rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu.

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On Sunday, the three-time Superbike World Champion finished 15th on his MotoGP Yamaha of the Pramac team and earned a world championship point. He has only achieved a better position twice so far in his rookie season (P13 in Le Mans and P14 in Brno).

Nevertheless, Razgatlioglu calls the Sachsenring weekend the worst weekend of his MotoGP career so far in his review. “Yes, I finished 15th, but only because other riders crashed. For me, it was really the worst weekend,” said the Turk.

What troubled Razgatlioglu the most were the Michelin tires with their asymmetric character. On all three tire compounds (Hard, Medium, Soft), the left sidewall was harder than the soft side. The reason for this type of tire is the layout of the Sachsenring with its numerous left-hand corners.

“I say it was the worst weekend for me because I am starting to understand the tires and the bike. However, we deal with different tires weekend after weekend. The tires here completely took away my motivation. I adapted to the other tires, but here it was again completely different,” said Razgatlioglu.

“On one side I had grip, on the other none,” sighs the Pramac rider about the asymmetric Michelin tires and knows: “The other riders know this track and they know these tires. They know how to ride here. For them, it might be a bit easier. For me, it was a disaster. It was something I did not expect at all.”

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“At the start of the race, I tried to follow Alex [Rins], but then I made a small mistake and from then on I had no reference,” Razgatlioglu recalls the Grand Prix on Sunday. For much of the distance, he was involved in a duel with Cal Crutchlow.

Crutchlow, who was riding for LCR-Honda for the fifth time as a replacement for the injured Johann Zarco, had been last in almost every session at previous race weekends. But at the Sachsenring, he rode for laps ahead of Razgatlioglu before the rookie found a way past again in the second half of the race. Just one lap later, Crutchlow crashed.

In the starting grid, Razgatlioglu was in 16th position, while Crutchlow started from 20th place. “When I was overtaken by Cal, I was surprised,” admits the Pramac rider and could immediately see where his Yamaha was at a disadvantage compared to Crutchlow’s Honda: “His bike turned in and had more grip than mine. I tried to stay with him, but that was difficult.”

“I did not enjoy the race because it was only about managing the tire and the tire spinning. I always lost time in the same corners,” says Razgatlioglu, referring to sector 2, which consists exclusively of left-hand corners.

“Many thanks to Yamaha, where they really work hard day by day, but we are not improving. This applies especially to me and the second sector. That was really difficult for me. At least I learned something. When I come back to the Sachsenring next year, I will know what I need. That is good, but really the only positive aspect of this weekend for me,” said Razgatlioglu.

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