Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1532327
VOLUME 62 ISSUE 6 FEBRUARY 11, 2025 P133 ploits in SBK mean it is no great stretch to think of him in the same bracket as Marquez, Rossi and their select supergood forebears. Or is it? He's excelled in every class he's contested so far. But he's never actually raced against riders of that caliber. Perhaps this doesn't matter. But you will quite easily find a strand of argument that down- grades the level and the achieve- ments of "production-bike" racers. This in spite of the fact that the technicalities and lap times of MotoGP and SBK, and the athletic antics of their riders, have grown ever closer, ever since MotoGP went four-stroke in 2002. All while dumbing-down tech regs have affected both series. The Turk has played a lead- ing role in this closeness, after switching from Kawasaki to Yamaha for the first of his two (is it, considering his talent, really only two?) SBK titles, then jumping ship to BMW for a miraculous 2024. In the course of which he took the German marque from underachievement to one-rider dominance. Up- rooting Ducati, an achievement impossible in MotoGP. Yet again, it seemed it was time for Toprak to make the long-awaited move. But it didn't happen. There wasn't anywhere for him to go, especially at the level he demands. His former boon compan- ions Yamaha, for whom he has tested a MotoGP bike in the past, might have had a sort of nearly-works ride available, given that their new satellite Pramac squad has been prom- ised equal support and equip- ment. But the seats had already been allocated. It's hard not to think that he would have been an interesting fit, had the right strings been pulled at the right time. There remains an intriguing possibility that Toprak's cur- rent employers, BMW, might at last join the senior series, when the new rules come into play in 2027. Especially since KTM might by then be gone, leaving the necessary space on the grid. But at this stage, it's a pie in the sky, a pie that has been hover- ing around for some time, with Dorna's eager blandishments to the Bavarian marque regularly rebuffed. Even if it were to come to pass, by then, Toprak would be 30 years old. Not too late for a talented rider to continue a successful career doing what he knows—Marc Marquez is 32, Maverick Vinales 30. But it is hardly the usual time to start afresh in a different paddock on different tires on a different and significantly more powerful and sophisticated motorcycle. Given the close margins in MotoGP, it is the nuances of understanding and technique that make the dif- ference. Old dog, new tricks. There should be nothing to prevent a rider who is good on a Superbike from being good on a MotoGP bike, if the timing is right, and if he is young enough. But the precedents are not par- ticularly encouraging. Carl Fogarty might easily have made an impact, had he found the opportunity early enough. It never came. In spite of his serial success in Superbikes, he al - ways hankered after a GP seat. Colin Edwards tried and made a very fair fist of it in a far- from-shabby GP career, which lasted for more than 10 years. No race wins, but he did rack up 12 podiums, including five second places. But the double Superbike champ was 29 when he made the switch. Had it hap - pened earlier, he probably would have added race wins and stron- ger championship results. You could say the same of Scott Russell and single GP win- ner Ben Spies. Not much more than merely respectable. For serious success, the flow of riders generally goes the other way. Bautista is just the latest former GP winner to find greater glory in the Superbike paddock, in a long line that started with Raymond Roche in 1990, and includes John Ko - cinski, Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi. Superbikes, it seems, make fewer demands on riders, and it's easier to step down than to step up. Sorry, Toprak. Looks like you left it too late. And that's a real pity for you and for MotoGP. CN