Seeking to win his third consecutive race of the WorldSBK weekend at Assen 2022, Rea attempted a pass into the first corner but found Razgatlioglu unwilling to give ground as he braked extremely late for the right-hander.
As the Pata Yamaha rider took the turn, it cost the Turkish rider dearly as he lost all his practice coming out of the first corner.
Naturally, Rea saw an opening and rushed inside of Razgatlioglu, the problem…Razgatlioglu was still on the racing line, which resulted in contact and a subsequent crash for both riders.
Although much has been said after the incident, the two riders have kept criticism for each other to a minimum, although Rea believes a difference of opinion remains.
“Unfortunately we got together; I don’t want to be a diva and start blaming or creating animosity about it,” Rea said ahead of this weekend’s third round in Estoril.
“It happened, but it didn’t need to happen. There could have been a little more care on both sides, but we are runners, I understand that.
“I actually saw Toprak just before this interview. I have no hard feelings towards him, he’s a super good guy and I can park him.”
The race between the two will continue to be ‘bar to bar’ according to WorldSBK great, Rea
“But I can also put on my helmet and race it from bar to bar on all the circuits in the world. It’s a shame that we both fell; it was a racing accident and of course there is a difference of opinion,” Rea said.
“I respect his [opinion], but it probably wasn’t necessary. Last year here we were able to improve and I felt good with the ZX-10RR, so I’m excited to see what we can do this weekend.”
While the incident was disappointing from Rea’s perspective as he lost a potential win and is now 18 points behind Alvaro Bautista, for Razgatlioglu it had a much bigger impact.
The reigning world champion, who remains winless so far this season, is now 45 points behind the Ducati rider after just six races.
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“I am very happy that we are back after a long break,” added Razgatlioglu. “Like last year, I’m doing my best again because I like this track. For Yamaha, it’s very good. I’m trying to fight for the victory again.
“At this track, normally we are fast but this year I think we are faster. We will see because the race is always different. I forget Assen now. It’s a racing accident.
“At first it was my mistake, I went a little wide but not off the track, but Jonny is looking at me normally. He has a little more space on the track but he does not use the space, and we cling.
“There was no contact. We are now focused on the race, he is also focused. We have a Yamaha MotoGP test and for me it is very important because I understand if I like the bike or not, because it’s completely different from Superbike.” “
Rea and Razgatlioglu have won four out of six at Estoril since the Portuguese circuit returned to the calendar in 2020, with only Scott Redding and Chaz Davies being the other drivers to claim victories.
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