JAKARTA - The second series of World Superbike 2023 will be held at the Mandalika Circuit, Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, this weekend. Several riders are predicted to steal the show.
One of them is the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team racer, Toprak Razgatlioglu. He was the winner of the WSBK race at the Mandalika Circuit last season.
At this year's event, Toprak clearly targeted a successive victory. He feels ready to re-infuse Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing).
"I am targeting victory, and the hope is to stand on the podium with my team members", Toprak said, as quoted by Antara.
However, the Turkish racer did not deny that this season would be more challenging than last year.
"We are back stronger than last year. But other teams like Kawasaki, Ducati, they are strong competitors, so we'll see (how the race will take place)", he said.
However, the 26-year-old racer has the belief that he can return to winning. The reason is, he feels very suitable for the Mandalika Circuit.
For the Turkish racer, the Mandalika Circuit has several corners that are both attractive and challenging for many racers, including himself.
"I love the corners here. I feel very strong on this (Mandaliaka Circuit) track, especially in some corners, I feel very strong because I have quite an experience (trialling and winning WSBK races in Mandalika)", he said.
The 2021 WSBK world champion added that the weather in Mandalika would be another challenge. However, he believes, other riders also experienced the same thing.
"Indeed, another problem is that the weather here is hot. However, this is not a problem for me, but also for other riders. But, I feel strong here (Mandalika), but, of course, other riders are also very strong and fast", said the rider who had been predicted to move to MotoGP.
"I'm trying to enjoy this track because we always learn every year (because the circuit continues to be refined). But, all teams are also trying to develop their bicycles, other riders are also racing fast, so we'll see (the results) in the race later", he concluded.
Not only the corners of the Mandalika Circuit, but the Muslim racer also likes the beauty of Indonesia. According to him, Indonesia is a country that has natural beauty, various tourist destinations, and friendly residents.
"I'm always happy to be back here. Indonesia is a beautiful country with the people in it who are no less stunning", he said.
"I also had time to play paragliding, seeing the beauty from above. Another thing that makes me happy to be in Indonesia is the large number of Muslims here", he added.
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