Niccolò Bulega has defended former World Superbike rival Torak Razgatlioglu, citing a ‘fundamental’ problem with MotoGP tyres.
Razgatlioglu He scored his best result as a MotoGP rider in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix with P11, but still didn’t crack the top 10 and made one Q2 appearance.
He saw the Turkish rider open He finished third overall in the battle for the 2025 WSBK title. In his absence, the Ducati rider crushes the competition.
Nicolo Bulega predicts 2027 Toprak Razgatlioglu in a tough rookie campaign.
He was asked in an interview about Razgatlioglu. Speed weekBulega hastened the limitations of the machines. Even Yamaha rider Fabio Quatararo is in 15th place with only 37 points.
Razgatlioglu has accumulated nine so far, which puts him behind factory rider Alex Rins (12) and Pramac teammate Jack Miller (11).
What can Toprak Razgatlioglu do now on a Ducati bike?
In Hungary, Iker Lecuona had an impressive performance for Gresini.
Bulega, Ducati’s test rider for the Ducati MotoGP project, is suspicious of Razgatlioglu’s initiative this year after a title-winning bike was stripped for the slowest machinery on the grid.
He said switching to Michelin complicated the adjustment phase. Crucially, it will return to the familiar Pirelli rubber in 2027, allowing it to return to its ‘normal’ riding style.
“Yamaha is not at the top,” Bulega said. “They’re in the last place in MotoGP on their bike. And even a champion like Fabio Quattararo is struggling. Sometimes he’s near the front but he always falls back. Even an incredible rider like him, in his eighth season with Yamaha, is struggling.
Toprac is the first season with Yamaha, and with Michelin tires – believe me – is fundamentally different from Pirelli. The driving style you want for them is the exact opposite.
Sometimes Toprak is ahead of other Yamaha riders. Except for Quatararo, he is not far from them. And they all have plenty of MotoGP experience. Only used this bike for six months, so it’s not doing bad in my opinion.
But obviously, when you have to start behind him like he did, the motivation is not good, especially for someone who is used to winning in the Superbike World Championship.
“Next year he will have Pirelli tires again, then he can use his normal riding style better. And maybe Yamaha will build a more powerful bike. If they succeed, then he can ride a lot further – I’m sure.”
It was recently reported that Bullega goes to MotoGP with VR46 The following year, he would renew his rivalry with Razgatlioglu.
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