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- Toprak Razgatlioglu claims pole position and all three race wins on the brand-new Balaton Park Circuit aboard the ROKiT BMW M 1000 RR, including the 1000th WorldSBK race.
- ‘El Turco’ extends his lead in the World Championship from four to 26 points; BMW closes in on first place in the manufacturers’ standings.
- Sven Blusch: “It was a truly historic weekend for BMW Motorrad Motorsport”.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) dominated the premiere of the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) at the brand-new Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary. Just like at Misano (ITA) and Donington Park (GBR), ‘El Turco’ was unstoppable on his BMW M 1000 RR from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team at Lake Balaton. He secured pole position and won all three races – often with a commanding lead and with the fastest lap each time. His victory in the Superpole Race on Sunday morning was historic as it marked the 1000th race in WorldSBK history. In the riders’ championship, Razgatlioglu extended his lead from four to 26 points. In the manufacturers’ standings, BMW, currently in second, reduced the gap to leader Ducati to just 16 points.
His teammate Michael van der Mark (NED) finished 12th in the first main race. In the Superpole Race under changing conditions, he was unlucky in the tyre lottery and ended up 15th. He was 16th in the second main race. Van der Mark is travelling directly from Hungary to Japan, where he will compete in next weekend’s Suzuka 8 Hours, the third round of the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC), with the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. WorldSBK now heads into the summer break, with round nine of the season scheduled for the first weekend of September at Magny-Cours (FRA).
Reactions after the Balaton Park Circuit round.
Shaun Muir, Team Principal of ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “We came into this round with the benefit of a previous test here on the production bikes, so both Toprak and Michael already had a good feel for the circuit. That gave us, and most of the field, a solid starting point. Free Practice 1 got off to a positive start for Toprak. He quickly settled into his setup and carried over a lot of the progress we’d made at Donington. That gave us confidence, and he just continued to build from FP1 through to Superpole.
His performance throughout the weekend was faultless. He stayed fully focused, delivered a brilliant qualifying to secure pole position, and got three very strong starts, something we’ve been working on, and clearly, he’s made good steps forward there. In the Superpole Race, opting for slicks was a calculated risk, but it paid off. That’s a reflection of the confidence he’s riding with right now. He stayed out of trouble, executed perfectly, and walked away with three commanding wins. To win the 1000th race in WorldSBK history, having also won the 800th and 900th, meant a lot to him and to the team. He’s extended his lead in the riders’ championship and helped close the gap in the manufacturers’ standings as well. Michael had a challenging weekend. His best Superpole lap was interrupted by a red flag, he scored points in Race 1, then like several others, opted for intermediate tyres in the Sprint Race, which turned out to be the wrong choice. As for Race 2, he suffered an unfortunate crash and despite his best efforts, wasn’t able to recover into a points-scoring position.
Overall, the whole team has done an excellent job once again. I can’t fault anyone’s effort. It’s been a superb performance all round. We’ll enjoy a short summer break now and come back ready to keep pushing at the Aragon test and into the next races. We’re now fully focused on Aragon. It’s always a benefit going to a track where we’ve tested previously — it gives us a bit of an edge, especially at a circuit where Ducati has historically been very strong. But we’ll stay on the front foot, maintain this momentum, keep working hard, and we wish Michael all the best for the upcoming Suzuka 8 Hours.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “For me, it has been an amazing weekend. That was a new track for everyone and we started the weekend strongly on Friday. I quickly adapted to the circuit and we did a very good job. I am very happy for that! The Superpole Race was a little bit difficult because there were many wet patches, we had just one dry line and some corners were also still wet. But we did a very good job, no mistake, I was just riding and focused on the pace. That race was very important for me because I had won the 800th and the 900th and now also the 1000th WorldSBK race so this was a very special race for me to win. I am not focused on the championship, I just focus in every race to win it. The next races will be at Magny-Cours. Last year I did not ride there, and I am looking forward to go there. I will try to get another hat-trick there. Like Portugal, this is one of my favourite tracks. We need to win there, in France, and at Estoril, as I think that Ducati will be very strong at Aragón and Jerez. Now we have a longer break and I will enjoy some holiday but I also need to work a lot. We have increased our lead in the championship but everything is possible in the races so we need to try to get as many wins as possible.”
Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “I was looking forward to racing here in Hungary as it is always exciting to enter uncharted territory and it’s fun to learn new circuits. Race one was pretty solid and that made me confident for Sunday. Unfortunately, the unpredictable weather in the Superpole Race made the tyre choice a real gamble. We opted for intermediates, but could see during the race that everyone who made the same choice seemed to struggle. In race two, I unfortunately had a small crash that dropped me to the back of the field but it’s time to put that Sunday behind me. I am on my way now to Suzuka, to a race that I really love. I will give my very best to help BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team to achieve their big goal: to win the Suzuka 8 Hours as the first European manufacturer.”
