MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

There was a lot to talk about after the Valencia MotoGP test. But it was also easy to draw conclusions that don't necessarily reflect reality. Though the sun came out later, the day started chilly, with a bitter wind that sucked temperature out of track and tires. Only the bravest and most eager ventured out early – Luca Marini, fully apprised of the hard work that lies ahead of him, was the first rider to take to the track – most waiting until the temperature rose to something a little above Arctic.

That doesn't mean that the test, and the times set at them, were meaningless. Just that they need to be treated with caution. Different riders were trying different things, and were on different programs. A large number of riders didn't attempt a real time attack, setting their fastest time as part of the normal testing program.

Tuesday marked the start of a new journey for Sam Lowes and the Marc VDS team. The 33 year old rolled down pit lane and started his WorldSBK career at Jerez. The weather gods didn't exactly play ball though, the 33-year-old rookie losing the first day to rain, and finally getting his first taste of the Ducati Panigale V4R on a drying and cold track.

The delay allowed us to have a quick chat with the man that will steer the ship for the crew at Marc VDS this year. Giovanni Crupi is one of Ducati’s most experienced engineers and the Italian was trusted with Scott Redding’s initial introduction to production racing back in 2019. That year saw Redding claim the British Superbike title before moving to WorldSBK the following year. A dozen wins, and 37 podiums from just 61 races led to two top three finishes in the standings.

Since I started working in WorldSBK ahead of the 2016 season the biggest news story that I’ve seen has been Toprak Razgatlioglu signing for BMW. His debut on the bike has been one of the most anticipated stories of the winter....

It had been 35 days since Toprak Razgatlioglu sat on a WorldSBK machine. As BMW got ready his bike ready in Portimão there was a track day group on the circuit. They had no idea they were about to be joined on-track by Toprak. Rolling down pit lane the Number 54 was ready for his new challenge to start.

In the last six months since signing with BMW, Razgatlioglu has spoken consistently about the new challenge of riding the German bike. No BMW rider has ever been claimed the crown and Toprak is out to prove himself as the King once again.

2023 was yet another terrible year for Honda in MotoGP. The Repsol Honda team went winless, and took just a handful of podiums in the sprint and one in a Sunday grand prix, scoring 49 fewer points in 2023 than they had in 2022, despite the addition of sprint races. Marc Marquez and Joan Mir only lined up on the grid on 12 of the 20 possible occasions, the two Spaniards missing races due to injury. And they broke the record for the number of crashes accumulated over a season, Marquez racking up 29, Mir hitting the gravel 24 times.

At LCR, Alex Rins missed most of 2023 after shattering his leg in a crash at Mugello, while Takaaki Nakagami rode conservatively to avoid crashing, starting all 20 rounds, but ending up 18th in the championship behind rookie Augusto Fernandez. Between them, Honda's test rider Stefan Bradl and WorldSBK rider Iker Lecuona started in 13 of the 20 rounds, including twice at the same round. Rins' impressive victory – in part due to Pecco Bagnaia crashing out of a comfortable lead – was the only consolation for the team and HRC.

The 2023 MotoGP season was full of surprises, in both the good and bad senses of the word. The introduction of sprint races and the shake up of the weekend schedule, starting the season at Portimão instead of Qatar, because the Lusail International Circuit was being rebuilt. The vast gaps in the early part of the schedule, and a horrifically hectic second half, including the last 8 races in the space of just 10 weeks.

Contract drama, with Marc Marquez leaving Honda after 11 seasons for the fully privateer Gresini option, and the subsequent chase for a successor which went all the way down to the day after the final round of the year. KTM's quest for a seat to put Pedro Acosta on, and figuring out who would make way. Fabio Di Giannantonio's late turn of form and last-minute rescue.

Before I even start here, I have to say I struggle with top ten lists. As ever it’s a subjective view of the WorldSBK season. So here’s my top ten list for 2023 anyway. I think that it’s only the top three that I have an ironclad belief in my choices, because beyond that you could make a case for almost any rider on the grid. As I found as I made my list, as I changed people around time and again, putting riders further up or lower down the list.

Everyone in racing has a story to tell of their season and there’s so much that goes unnoticed but this is the list I settled on. Get involved in the comments with your lists and I’ll come back to see what everyone has to say, and by all means throw egg in my face for this list!

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (7 wins, 33 podiums, 34 Top 5, 2 DNF)

Is it possible to argue with Toprak as the leading man in WorldSBK? Over the last three years he has, for me at least, been the most impressive rider in the world. He might be racing a lesser level in WorldSBK but the Turkish rider isn’t a star; he’s a superstar. Other than Valentino Rossi or Marc Marquez I’ve never seen a more “box office” rider. When Toprak is on track you can’t take your eyes off him.

There is a simple version of the 2023 MotoGP riders championship, and there is a more accurate, longer version. The very short version is that Pecco Bagnaia started the season as favorite to defend the title he won in 2022, and did so successfully, holding off all-comers to retain his crown by a comfortable 39-point margin. But that makes Bagnaia's season sound a lot easier than it ended up being.

Looking back to the season preview I wrote in March, the year did not play out the way we had expected once testing was completed. Back then, Bagnaia was the clear favorite, but my conclusions from testing were that he would face stiff competition from Fabio Quartararo on the Yamaha, new factory Ducati teammate Enea Bastianini, and Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro. Jorge Martin barely warranted a mention, as did Marco Bezzecchi.