Before moving to the World Superbike Championship in 2019, Alvaro Bautista made more than 150 appearances in MotoGP.
A former 125cc champion, Bautista has raced in the premier class for Suzuki, Gresini and Aspar. Although he did not win the race, he scored three podiums.
He became one of Torak Razgatlioglu’s main rivals when he moved to WSBK. He descended from the throne riding a Ducati Razgatlioglu In the year As he defends the title in 2022 and then in 2023.
Is Toprak too late to MotoGP?
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Razgatlioglu, who returned in 2024 and 25, has now left the series to race for Pramac Yamaha in MotoGP. In an interview with MotosanBautista was asked about the takeover.
‘You have to push harder’ in MotoGP, warns Toprak Razgatlioglu
Bautista warns Razgatlioglu will face a ‘very different’ challenge at the Grand Prix. From 2027, it competes against the well-known Pirelli tires, but one of the unknowns is the Michelin tire.
Razgatlioglu knows that he has to learn new tracksincluding many places outside of Europe. He himself played up to expectations for his rookie season.
Bautista says the 29-year-old will experience a different culture in MotoGP. If he complains about the bike, he is simply told to ‘push hard’.
Should MotoGP riders fear Toprak Razgatlioglu?
Torak’s record in WSBK
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“He had the opportunity to go to MotoGP and he took it, so it’s understandable that he wanted to try it,” Bautista said. But that championship is very different from SBK: bikes, tires, circuits, drivers.
“From now on, if you complain, nobody cares, you just have to push harder, I don’t know what to expect from him.
Clearly, Toprak has a lot of talent and good bike handling. The first year will be very difficult because he will have a lot to learn. We’ll see how it works.
MotoGP is less ‘mentally stressful’ than World Superbikes, says Alvaro Bautista
Razgatlioglu needs to adjust his training regime to suit MotoGP. The WSBK season ended on October 19, giving him an extra month to prepare against his rivals.
There were 36 runs in the 12-round season, including three over the weekend. In MotoGP, there are only two – Sprint and Grand Prix – but there are 22 stops on the calendar.
Bautista, now 41, finds Superbike more ‘physically and mentally demanding’ than MotoGP, although it is worth noting that his longest Grand Prix season spanned 18 races.
He explained: “In MotoGP there are many Grand Prix races, but in Superbike there are three races every weekend, and that is physically and mentally demanding. In MotoGP last year I started to change my training, doing shorter and more intense aerobic sessions.”
“I had worked a lot on aerobic conditioning during my racing career, so I had a good base, and I started to focus on the mental aspect.
“Doing three races in a weekend is very demanding, you have to start again from one race to the next. The mental aspect is what I worked on the most, and I think the result was good.”
