The opeꦕning day of the WorldSBK Portimao test was also the first day of 2025 for Toprak Razgatlioglu, and the first da🥀y on an updated BMW M1000 RR.

Razgatlioglu was forced to miss last week’s test in Jerez due to🐈 a finger injury, but returned to action this week in Portugal and immediately laid down a benchmark, settiꦗng the fastest time on the first day in the Algarve.

“I didn’t expect the finger to be like thi♑s, becaus𒉰e I immediately started very fast,” Razgatlioglu told WorldSBK.com.

“I felt a little bit of pain but not a lot. I used hard braking 🐓and everyꦚthing was good; not like before, but it’s getting better.

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

Razgatlioglu then revealed that his time-topping fastest lap – which put him 0.029 seconds ahead of B🌠imota’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 bet🐈ter 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 think the ot♑her riders used ♔the SCQ tyre.

“Not just one lap, but after ten laps, we’﷽re ve🐻ry 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 to꧒ the one he won the title on in 20꧃24.

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

“But, not bad. The bike is still working, especially with the race t💝yre 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 important for me, not only one lap.

“But we will see; this is a cold condi꧟tion and also the track condition is not good today, some corners [were wet], and everyone was riding the sam൩e track but normally we are more fast.

“Anyway, this i꧃s for🌳 everyone, everyone tried their best, and also I’m trying a new bike.

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