Razgatlioglu feared broken leg after Jerez crash, 'never been in that much pain'

The 2021 WorldSBK champion was in spectacular form over the two days as he finished fastest on both occasions.

Razgatlioglu first got the better of Alvaro Bautista before day-two saw him edge out Kawasaki rider Jonathan Rea by less than a tenth.

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Close margins, as we saw throughout last season, the top three contenders appear to be ready for another season-long battle, however, Razgatlioglu could be doing so with an improved Yamaha R1.

Electronic improvements were made during the test, while a new swingarm was provided as the search for more acceleration and grip, two areas that have been of high demand for some time from Razgatlioglu, have seemingly been met.

But despite the impressive pace shown by Razgatlioglu, there was an early mishap on day-two which left the Turkish star very worried.

Fearing he had broken his leg following a fall that completely destroyed his Yamaha machine, Razgatlioglu told GPOne.com: "Honestly, I don’t know what happened. It wasn’t a normal slip. I fell as soon as I pressed the brake. Was it because of the cold? That’s possible.

"The few times I end up falling I always do it drastically. At first I was afraid I had broken my leg. I’ve never been in that much pain.

"But fortunately it was just a bad blow. Everything went well and I got back on the bike as usual."

While Razgatlioglu won more races last year than in his title-winning season [2021], the Yamaha rider felt as though he lost concentration after claiming his maiden Superbike title.

Once Razgatlioglu claimed his first win of the year at Misano, the 26-year-old took seven out of the next ten wins although Bautista remained too consistent for him to get on level terms.

Ready to claim the title back in 2023, Razgatlioglu added: "I know that the team is working every day to try to improve the bike, and I am training hard. We are both doing everything we can. 

"We all know how 2022 went for me, but now I feel mentally strong and ready to fight. I've changed my approach to the season and I'm focused on myself. On the contrary, between 2021 and 2022 I lost focus when I won the World Championship."