Anyone who follows the WorldSBK social media channels will know full well Toprak Razgatlioglu loves a cheeky stoppie as he enters the pit-lane… though his latest stunt very nearly landed him in hot water with his new Pata Yamaha team.
After two seasons racing privateer Kawasaki machinery in WorldSBK, Razgtalioglu – who is known for his flamboyant riding style - has landed a factory Yamaha R1 prepared by the Crescent Racing team.
However, while every rider wants to beat their new team-mate – in this case Michael van der Mark - the first rule is surely not to take them out… especialy not in front of the big boss!
And yet Razgatlioglu came remarkably close to doing that as he showboated with another (spectacular, it must be said) stoppie on his way into pit garage.
Flicking the rear of the R1 up as he eases to a stop, he then pivots the front-wheel round to face the garages… only to find his late switchback came right in the path of his close-following van der Mark, who has to get the anchors down hard to prevent himself from clattering into the side of his team-mate.
A heart-stopping stoppie though it appeared, van der Mark appears to take it in good grace as Razgatlioglu apologises profusely. As for management, well this video came directly from Crescent Racing boss Paul Denning so we’ll assume he isn’t holding it against him.
We really hope this doesn’t stop Razgatlioglu performing these tricks in future, though maybe he might do well to throw a look over his shoulder first next time…
