BMW Provide Fresh Update on Toprak Razgatlioglu’s Recovery

The 2024 World Superbike championship was flipped on its head at the last round in France, as series leader Toprak Razgatlioglu took no part in any of the three races at Magny-Cours due to injury.

Razgatlioglu, who was on a stunning 13-race win streak and entered the weekend as the firm favourite, suffered a crash early on in Friday’s second practice session. The Turkish rider was ruled out of action as a result of suffering a mild traumatic pneumothorax, also known as a collapsed lung.

BMW has since provided clarity on Razgatlioglu’s condition and when a return could be expected.

A statement from BMW said: “Further examinations at the medical centre at Magny-Cours have now confirmed that the pneumothorax is healing positively.”

“The attending doctors have already cleared Razgatlioglu to travel to Italy, where his treatment will continue with another professional medical team. Italy is also the location of the next WorldSBK round.

“However, whether he will be able to compete in the races at Cremona remains uncertain. This will depend on his continued recovery and the assessment of the Circuit Chief Medical Officer in collaboration with the FIM WorldSBK Medical Director before the race weekend.”

But in the same breath, BMW has cautioned against rushing the 2021 world champion back despite his points lead being dented in a big way by Nicolo Bulega, who won both Sunday races at Magny-Cours.

“We have received good news from France, although Toprak still needs time and rest to fully recover,” said Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport. “We would like to thank everyone at Magny-Cours and the hospital in Moulins who took such good care of Toprak.

“We will do everything we can to support his positive progress. However, we won’t rush anything, as Toprak’s health is our top priority. He will return to racing when it is possible without any health risks.” 

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