Marco Bezzecchi
Neil Hodgson feels Toprak Razgatlioglu potentially has a ‘dream ticket’ on the table to leave World Superbikes and move to MotoGP, amid interest from Honda and Yamaha.
The two-time WSBK champion has become a fixture of the MotoGP rider market again so far this year. Razgatlioglu has regularly been linked with a move from the production bike series to the prototype class, and may finally be on the way given his contract for BMW is expiring.
Razgatlioglu could even leave BMW at the end of this year as a three-time World Superbikes champion. The 28-year-old currently trails Ducati rival Nicolo Bulega by 21 points after three rounds, having taken two Superpole plus two Race wins – including the hat-trick in Portugal.
Honda and Yamaha are driving the interest in the MotoGP paddock for Razgatlioglu to leave World Superbikes. The Japanese outfits are weighing up changes to their line-ups, with Luca Marini out of contract at Honda and Jack Miller’s works Yamaha contract at Pramac expiring.
Honda’s plan to sign Toprak Razgatlioglu but leave him in World Superbikes is the ‘dream ticket’, claims Neil Hodgson
Yamaha are keen to see if Razgatlioglu would join Pramac given the Italian team are their de facto second factory outfit. But Hodgson feels his ‘dream’ route should be to join Honda and stay in World Superbikes next year to exploit MotoGP’s rules letting him test their 2027 bike.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Honda from the MotoGP team’s riders to leadership
The 2003 World Superbikes champion is a big fan of the 2021 and 2024 WSBK title-winner. Hodgson has praised Razgatlioglu’s ‘unique’ braking strength and dubbed the Turkish rider as ‘the fastest man’ on the Superbikes grid, thanks to his aggressive style and ‘ultimate’ feel.
Hodgson said on TNT Sports 2 (25/04, 09:52): “I think the dream ticket is the two-year Honda deal where he does a year in Superbikes and he can be part of the DNA of the development of the 2027 rule changes [and] tyre changes.
“He can be a part of that. It would put him in such a unique position because he’d have free range to do as much testing as he wanted on a MotoGP bike. And if you think about it, being totally honest, it’s a win-win situation if you’re Toprak.
“Obviously, he’s super talented. So, if he has that as an opportunity, that’s a golden opportunity. And if he changes his mind and thinks, ‘You know what? I’ll stay in Superbikes’, it’s such a good lever when you’re negotiating a deal with a manufacturer as big as BMW.”
Pramac Yamaha lead Honda to sign Toprak Razgatlioglu despite Neil Hodgson’s view
As Hodgson says, Honda could sign Razgatlioglu to a 2027 MotoGP contract and have him at their World Superbikes crew in 2026. But they are also fighting with his current employers, with BMW willing to make Razgatlioglu the best-paid World Superbikes rider to stay in 2026.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Pramac from the MotoGP team’s riders to bike
Honda are also not his favoured route away from World Superbikes, despite Hodgson seeing the evident advantages for the Japanese crew and the Turkish ace ahead of MotoGP’s 2027 rules bringing in a new era of 850cc bikes and Pirelli tyres like those he uses now in WSBK.
It is thought that Razgatlioglu’s ‘heart is set’ on moving to MotoGP in 2026 and that he rates Pramac Yamaha as the best option to leave World Superbikes as soon as possible. Only if his chance to replace Miller disappears will he consider Honda and, last of all, staying at BMW.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
