Toprak Razgatlioglu’s US Sprint race may have only lasted four laps, but the MotoGP rookie had been the leading Yamaha and “surprised by how comfortable I felt on the bike”

Razgatlioglu rose from 17th to tenth on the opening lap, initially struggling to release his ride height device, and was holding 13th place – ahead of Fabio Quartararo and Jack Miller – when his V4 engine began cutting out.

“The first part of the race was quite good, and I was actually surprised by how comfortable I felt on the bike,” Razgatlioglu said.

“The only difficult moment was the first lap, where I struggled a bit to understand some of the bike‘s reactions, but from Turn 11 onwards I started to find a better rhythm and everything improved.

“Up until the technical issue, I was feeling positive and trying to catch the rider in front, but we are still losing quite a lot on the straights.

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“I tried to follow Aldeguer, because he is very strong, especially through the long corners, and it‘s clear that we are losing time in the last sector.

“So it‘s a mix of emotions – I had some good laps and a good feeling on the bike, but the technical problem stopped us. At the same time, it‘s clear where we are still missing compared to the others.

“Tomorrow will be a long and demanding race for everyone. I will do my best again.”

Pramac team director Gino Borsoi said: “I have to say that, overall, even though Toprak wasn‘t able to finish the race, his performance up to that point was very strong.

“He continues to make positive and consistent steps forward, fighting among the Yamaha riders and close to Fermín Aldeguer.

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“Being that close to the top ten is a clear sign that the progress is real and ongoing.”

Quartararo went on to finish as the leading Yamaha rider in the Sprint, in eleventh place.

Razgatlioglu followed up his Saturday form with an impressive fifth place, on the medium rear tyre, in Sunday’s MotoGP warm-up session.

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