Toprak Razgatlioglu produced the best performance of his WorldSBK career last time in Barcelona, winning two of the three races in just his second weekend as a BMW rider.
Razgatlioglu was the 'king' of tire maintenance in race one, closing in on Nicolo Brega and overtaking the Ducati rookie at Turn 5 on the final lap.
Razgatlioglu then took his second win of the weekend with a brilliant finish over reigning world champion Alvaro Bautista in the final corner.
And after seeing Razgatlioglu's talent firsthand, ROKIT Motorrad BMW Team Principal Sean Muir told Speedweek: Now that he is performing on our bike and with all the advantages and disadvantages of the bike, I have to say that he is one of his five of the best bike athletes in the world. not.
“So, through every series and paddock, I’m convinced of that.
“He is able to get the best out of the bike while compensating for its weaknesses.
“What he does on the motorcycle, the way he balances and slows down and accelerates while controlling the chassis, is better than other pilots.
“That's the difference. His driving quality is simply higher than other drivers.”
Razgatlioglu, who suffered a DNF in the final race of the season opener, was back in contention for the title with two wins and a third place finish in Race 2 in Barcelona.
However, Razgatlioglu's performance influenced not only the German manufacturer's rival teams, but also its own riders.
“What Toprak did on the bike from a standstill, and what we saw in the data, the other three riders couldn't imagine he could do,” Muir added.
“In my opinion, it was during the testing at Phillip Island that I started to believe he could win the world championship this year.
“He didn't believe that when he signed with BMW.”