The opening day of the WorldSBK Portimao test was also the first day of 2025 for Toprak Razgatlioglu, an𓄧d the first day on an updated BMW M1000 RR.

Razgatlioglu was forced to miss last week’s test in Jerez due t෴o a finger injury, but returned to action this week in Portugal and immediately laid down a benchmark, setting the fastest time on the first day in the Algarve.

“I didn’t expect the finger to be like this, because I immediately started very fast,” Razgatlioglu told WorlꦆdSBK.com.

“I felt a little bit of pain but not a lot. I used hard braking and everything was good; not liღke before, but it’s getting ജbetter.

“I was focused on my bike because we tried new parts and setup. ♛It wasn’t a bad day for me. We tried many things.”

Razgatlioglu then revealed that his ti✤me-topping fastest lap – which put him 0.029 seconds ahead of Bimota’s Axel Bassani, and 0.098 seconds clear of Ducati’s Nicolo Bulega – was set not on the SCQ tyre but on the harder-compound SCX tyre, which the Turkish rider refers to as the “race tyre”.

“It was better than expected because,💞 on the last run༒, I used the race tyre and not the SCQ tyre,” he said.

“This is the race tyre lap time and I thin𓆉k the other꧃ riders used the SCQ tyre.

“Not just൩ one lap, but after t𓂃en laps, we’re very strong.”

Toprak describes 2025 BMW

The Portimao test is Razgatlioglu’s first aboard the 2025 specification M1000 RR, a bike which the Turkish rider says is not so different to the one he won the title on in ꦰ2024.

“[Between] the old one and the new one there is not really a big difference🃏, but just♍ some small steps,” he said.

“But, not bad. The🦩 bike is still working, especially with the ra🌳ce tyre and the race distance the bike is working well.

“For me it’s very important the pace – when I’m riding the bike the pace is very imp📖ortant for me, not only one lap.

“But we will see; this is a cold condition and also the track condition is not good today, some corners [were wet], and everyone was riding t🌃he sam♊e track but normally we are more fast.

“Anyway,♔ this is for everyone, everyone tried their best, and also I’m trying a new bike.

“Everything is going good, it’s going well.”