Shoulder nightmare for Toprak Razgatlioglu: now he fears surgery

Toprak Razgatlioglu forced to retire from the Indonesian GP due to shoulder problems after his crash. The Pramac Yamaha rider’s situation.

The weekend had not started too badly, but his physical condition forced him to retire early from yesterday’s MotoGP race. Toprak Razgatlioglu gave it a try, but had to contend with what happened on Saturday morning (overnight in Italy): he was involved in a terrifying crash in FP2, seriously worrying the Pramac Yamaha crew when he got back to his feet looking badly shaken and clutching his right shoulder. The impact had knocked the shoulder out of its socket, and it was put back in place at the side of the track. The Turkish former SBK rider wanted to get straight back out, but the team stopped him at the garage, and Dr. Charte arrived immediately to assess the situation. In the end, his GP lasted just eight laps before he was forced to stop... He now needs further checks to determine how to proceed. Surgery remains a possibility and could bring his first MotoGP season to an end.

The situation did not seem too concerning, as we saw the rider complete both Q1 and Saturday afternoon’s Sprint race. But he had yet to feel the full effects of the dislocation, which became all too apparent on Sunday, starting in the morning. “I started to feel really intense pain and limited mobility,” Toprak Razgatlioglu said at the end of the Indonesian Grand Prix, as reported by Speedweek. “I took some painkillers. But the pain wasn’t the main problem: I lacked strength, especially under braking. There are a lot of right-hand corners here, and my shoulder simply wasn’t strong enough.”

A dislocation is not something to take lightly, especially given the considerable physical demands of these MotoGP bikes and the circuits on the World Championship calendar. “I spoke with the team. They told me it would actually be better not to start,” admitted the Turkish rider, who stubbornly lined up on the starting grid anyway. “I wanted to at least give it a try.” After eight laps, however, the word “pit” appeared next to his name on the graphics, and shortly afterwards the cameras showed him sitting in the garage. So what happens now? “We have a week off, so I’ll go to Turkey to have my shoulder examined. I hope I won’t need surgery,” he said.

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