Toprak and Johnny met again for the first time after the Assem accident. Apparently the misunderstanding is now behind us, but we are talking about two champions, indeed: the lion king and the one who dethroned him last year. From the words of the two protagonists it is clear that neither of them, at the estoril, will leave room for the opponent.
“Unfortunately we arrived together; I don’t want to be a diva and start blaming or creating animosity – Rea said – It happened, but it wasn’t supposed to happen. There could have been a little more attention on both sides, but we are runners, I understand that. I saw Toprak just prior to this interview. I have no hard feelings towards him, he’s a great guy and I understand it. But I can also put on my helmet and compete with him on all circuits in the world. It’s a shame we both ended up on the ground; it was a racing accident and, of course, there is a difference of opinion. I respect hers, but it probably didn’t need to happen. Last year we were able to improve here and I felt good with the ZX-10RR, so I can’t wait to see what we can do this weekend.a”.
The Turk’s response appreciably buries the hatchet. He apparently is more worried about the MotoGP test that he will have to face shortly. He goes about his future because, at 26, as Lin Jarvis said, if he does not decide immediately he will start to be old for the premier class.
“I am very happy to be back here after a long break. Like last year, I will try to do my best because I love this track. For Yamaha it is very good. I will try to fight for the win again – said the world champion – On this track, we are usually fast, but this year I think we are faster. We will see why the race is always different. Now I forget about Assen. This is a racing accident. It was my mistake before, I went a bit wide but not off the track, but Jonny usually looks at me. It has a little more space on the track, but it doesn’t take advantage of it and we collide. There was no contact. Now we are focused on the race, he is also focused. We have a Yamaha MotoGP test and it is very important for me because I will understand if I like the bike or notbecause it is completely different from Superbike “.
