A day to remember as we are handed the key* to Toprak’s priceless, 250hp BMW M 1000 RR
Like so many of us, I was a wide-eyed teenager when I became besotted with World Superbikes. In 1995 I’d saved up just enough cash to attend my first race meeting and rode my Kawasaki KR-1S to Donington Park in the English midlands to watch the gladiators of the time do their thing. Carl Fogarty, Aaron Slight, Anthony Gobert and Troy Corser were like gods as they snaked down Craner Curves with a ferocity and bravery that remains etched on my mind. I was hooked.
Now, decades later, I found myself in the paddock at Cremona, about to throw a leg over the actual BMW M 1000 RR of reigning WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu.
Riding any WSBK machine is intimidating. But doing so in front of the entire ROKiT BMW Motorrad WSBK team and the ridiculously talented, double world champion Toprak himself is another level altogether. The team had even left his pit garage as it had been over the race weekend, letting me experience not only the bike, but also what it feels like to be in Toprak’s boots. This was going to be a day like no other. Time to dig out those big boy pants.
THE UNTHINKABLE
Although the BMW World Superbike is based on the 2025 M 1000 R, it’s not a case of thumbing the starter button, flicking up the sidestand and tootling down pit lane. For starters, there is no sidestand, and that’s only the start of a long list of oddities and protocols I had to get used to.
I was given a detailed briefing from Christian Gonschor, Technical Director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport. He was acutely aware that I was about to ride his near-perfect and possibly priceless factory machine in something close to full race trim. Unsurprisingly, I was given detailed instructions on what and what not to do.
There was a mountain of information to digest. The race dash is confusing, the cockpit has more buttons than the Millennium Falcon, there’s no foot-operated back brake – just a thumb lever on the left ‘bar – and no ABS or braking rider aids.
The M 1000 RR punches out between 250-260hp but weighs just 168kg. There are some rider aids, like TC, and the gearbox is not only raceshift, but first gear is down – meaning there’s no neutral between first and second. So that’s down for first, second and third, and so on… and don’t select a gear until the wheels are turning (which is why riders are pushed by mechanics). Oh, and don’t forget the pitlane limiter – which button was that again? And if you crash it… it’s just unthinkable.
The tyre warmers came off to reveal steaming Pirelli slicks. My technician wheeled the BMW out of the garage, pointed it down pitlane and I climbed aboard, feeling every eye trained on me. I tried to absorb all that was front of me, but she can’t be left ticking over for too long. I got the nod, the tech pushed me to get the wheels moving. Then it was down for first gear, a few more revs, release the clutch – please don’t stall – and we were away. Thank God I didn’t mess that one up.
As the limiter popped and the Akrapovic exhaust spat fury, I fumbled for the limiter release button – then remembered it deactivates automatically in second. Now it was just me and the fastest BMW motorcycle ever built.
LEARNING TO FLY
The golden rule when riding a WSBK bike is, of course, don’t crash. But ride too slowly and the tyres cool, the brakes fade and the bike becomes unstable. I’ve raced the Isle of Man TT, but I knew this experience would be another beast entirely.
From the first few corners, the M 1000 RR felt very strange. Toprak runs a very low seat and high ‘bars, so you sit in the bike, not on it. It’s a relaxed position, almost cruiser-like, compared to the nose-down aggression of most pure race machines.
Out of Turn 6 for the first time, I gave the throttle a tickle. It’s a short, straight blast to Turn 7, a fast right-hander taken in third or second. The BMW is quick, obviously, but even as the revs built and I was propelled to the next corner, it wasn’t as scary or brutal as anticipated. Not yet.
Now it was time to unleash the BMW’s full power; in second, pushing the bike upright as I aggressively dialled in the power, trusting the grip from the Pirelli slick as well as Toprak’s electronics. Again, the result wasn’t as violent as expected and I was beginning to suspect BMW may have turned down the power in the lower gears. Then, in third gear, those 250 horses kicked in hard.
All the air was driven from my lungs. It was so frantic I was momentarily stunned. But to my surprise, the front wheel remained planted. Not a hint of a wheelie as those huge wings and stunningly effective electronics did their work. The shift from third to fourth and into fifth was done faster than you can finish this sentence. The 750m straight was consumed in what felt like two seconds or less. The gear changes were beyond rapid – just seamless. The large fairing is so effective and the riding position so low that there’s very little windblast compared to other race bikes I’ve ridden. But when I popped up to apply the Brembo stoppers, I was hit by a wall of air that smashed me in the chest.
I was expecting the stoppers to bite harder than a Great White shark, but they are actually progressive and full of feel. Toprak is regarded as the supreme braker in WSBK, so I was expecting something dramatically fierce. But while the Brembos are very strong, the lever feel was friendly, with more travel than I was expecting. Meanwhile, the bike remained impeccably stable as the front slick tyre bit into the asphalt.
DANCE PARTNER
By lap two, things were beginning to click. Despite the unconventional riding position, the BMW felt light, flickable and agile. I expected it to steer like a truck, but instead it turned like a sweetly set-up SuperSport 600. It shouldn’t work but it does, and in just a few corners it felt natural, like it was my bike, not an angry monster that wanted to kill me.
In some ways, I was thankful I only had a handful of laps as my brain couldn’t compute any more information, and my lack of fitness was starting to show. Not only are you thinking about apexes, braking points and apex lines but also about the bike: Why does it do that? Can I feel or hear the TC? What’s happening mechanically? All this while trying to look fast and competent without crashing. It was an intense few laps. How the pros do this for half an hour or more is unimaginable.
Back in the pits, I was just relieved to hand the priceless bike back in one piece. Both physically and mentally exhausted, it took me a while to soak everything in.
Chatting with the team in the pits revealed that what I’d been feeling in Turn 7 in particular was the engine braking and power output changing in response to the lean angle, gear and other parameters. I’d been given a safe base setting, while the pros can have changeable power and engine brake strategies for each corner.
VERDICT
I’ve tested WorldSBK and TT-winning machines before, but nothing quite like this. Toprak’s M 1000 RR has the seating position of a Harley, the bodywork and stability of a sports-tourer, the handling of a SuperSport 600, and the acceleration of a rocket ship. Again, it should not work, but does.
It’s also a lot easier to ride than expected – with the caveat that BMW dialled down its ferocity for me. In theory, a skilled rider could take it to a track day without issues, as long as you remember what the buttons do and which way the gears go. And you would need a pit crew.
Half of me wishes I’d had more laps to play with the electronics and adapt to the bike’s quirks, but the other half is just pleased I got it back to pit lane unscathed.
Three key takeaways? First, how unusual it is in terms of riding position and feel. Second, how talented, skilled and intelligent top-level riders are – managing pace, strategy and machine feedback at warp speed. Finally, and possibly most importantly, how vital the team is. Getting this bike to work perfectly, corner by corner, takes experience, intelligence, data crunching time and a clear understanding with the rider. The team effort to get the bike to work, not just on lap one but the last lap when the fuel is almost gone and the tyre is shot, is an incredibly difficult task.
The M 1000 RR might have Toprak’s name on it, but it takes a village to make it fly.
✅ PROS – Set up for a world champion to ride to the limit and win, the M 1000 RR was deceptively easy to ride to the limits of a mere mortal
❌ CONS – The ride of a lifetime that will leave you wanting more but happy to return this priceless piece of mobile history to its makers in one piece.
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
Type Four-cylinder 999cc four-stroke
Performance 186kW-plus above 14,000rpm (est), 320km/h-plus (est)
ELECTRONICS
Rider aids Traction control, engine maps and engine braking, varying per track and possibly per corner. Stock frame has adjustable rake and tale
WHEELS & BRAKES
PVM forged wheels, Pirelli WSBK slicks, front 3.5 x 17, rear 6.0 x 17. Brembo 4-piston caliper brakes (front 2 x 338mm discs, rear 218mm disc)
DIMENSIONS
Weight 168kg (dry min for WSBK)
Width 561mm (718mm with wings)
Wheelbase 1450mm (variable)
Length 2080mm
Fuel capacity 21L (per regulations for season 2025)
BUSINESS END
Colour options Rokit
Price Probably priceless
