A World Champion-worthy WorldSBK Season Finale
A dream weekend with a fairytale ending – that is how the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team can describe the season finale of the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) at Jerez de la Frontera (ESP). On Saturday, Toprak Razgatlioglu was crowned World Champion early with his BMW M 1000 RR. In the second main race on Sunday, he celebrated his 18th win of the season, and teammate Michael van der Mark (NED) made the dream of a shared podium come true with a third-place finish.
Razgatlioglu arrived at Jerez de la Frontera with such a large points lead that second place in Saturday’s first race was enough to secure the World Championship title. But he wanted another win. In Sunday’s Superpole race, he finished second again, but in the second main race, he stood on the top step of the podium one more time. After two sixth-place finishes, van der Mark reached the podium in the final race, his second after his victory at Magny-Cours.
In the 2024 season, the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team secured a total of 19 victories and 10 additional podium finishes. In both the teams and the manufacturers’ championship, we finished second.
Comments after the season finale at Jerez de la Frontera.
Shaun Muir, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team Principal:
“First of all, a big thank you to everyone who supported us on this incredible journey. I’m immensely proud of the entire team—riders, mechanics, and staff, both past and present. Special thanks go to Michael and Toprak, who worked brilliantly as a team this season. I couldn’t have asked for a better pairing.
Toprak’s recovery from what could have been a season-ending injury at Magny-Cours was truly incredible. To return at Aragon and immediately fight for the win was exhilarating. Fast forward to this weekend, securing the World Championship with a close second-place finish, followed by a double podium with Michael, was the perfect way to cap it all off—a dream come true for all of us.
I also want to give a special thanks to our partners, to the FIM and to Dorna for organising such a fantastic championship. It’s been a challenging calendar, especially with the compressed schedule toward the end of the year, which put a heavy workload on everyone. But the team responded positively, and we finished with the Riders’ Championship—an achievement we’re all immensely proud of.
Looking ahead, the goal for next season is to go one step further. We aim to get Michael even closer to the overall podium, and we’ll also be targeting the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ Championships. We’ve reached the very top with this World Championship win, and I couldn’t be prouder. Now, we’ll take a moment to reflect on this success as we prepare for pre-season testing.”
Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
“To be honest, I’m speechless. This is a moment where Toprak and all of us together have made history. He and the entire team have truly achieved something historic, not only for BMW Motorrad but also for BMW as a whole. The World Championship title means an incredible amount to everyone in the company. We are very grateful to Toprak and all those who contributed to this success. A big thank you goes out to all our people on site, to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, and to the staff in Munich, at the Berlin plant, and in Landshut. I think it will take us a few weeks to fully realise it. But as early as Tuesday, we will begin testing for the new season, with the clear goal of defending the title. This Sunday was another special day for the entire team. The joy of Mickey securing third place and both ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team riders standing together on the podium was immense. It was a fitting season finale for the team.
For us, it’s now time to take a short breather and then dive straight into preparations for the new season. But tonight, we will celebrate first!”
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu:
“I want to say thank you to the entire BMW family because we had an incredible year. The season finale was an amazing event. We are World Champions – this was the end to a very long season and a very successful year in which we also had 13 wins in a row. We never gave up, and also today after the sprint race, we were working hard with the team. We changed the set-up of the bike and we tried something to get the win. In the race, I had a very good package and we did it – we won again. And I wanted to win the last race of the season. Usually Ducati is very strong here but we beat them again so everybody understood that BMW is really strong at all race weekends. It was incredible to be on the podium together with Mickey. It was dream, together with the team, to share the podium and it finally came true. He is a very great guy and he is pushing so hard at every race weekend. After his big injury, he is trying to come back and he has shown everyone what a strong rider he is. We are working together very well and I hope that we can race for the podium together again next year.”
Michael van der Mark:
“This year has been a dream for BMW and the entire team to take the world title and it has also been fantastic for me. I’ve been putting a lot of work in developing the bike together with BMW. They were always pushing. Even if the last two years have been unlucky they still trusted in me. I was building my pace, it was getting better and better, working together with Toprak. At a certain point we knew that the podium was coming and our goal was to be on the podium together. Unfortunately he wasn’t there at Magny-Cours but to finish the season this way, with the world title, his victory in the last race and me on the podium, it was fantastic for everyone in BMW.”
