Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu is a three-time World Superbike champion who finally debuted in MotoGP for Pramac Yamaha in 2026, so here is everything you must know about him.
For many years, the question of whether Razgatlioglu would finally make the move from the World Superbike Championship to MotoGP bubbled away. He had consistently overlooked a ride in the prototype series, as the Turkish talent insisted on only joining for a factory team.
In the end, Razgatlioglu made his move to MotoGP with a satellite team in Pramac. But the Tuscan squad satisfied his desire, as Yamaha had made Pramac their de facto second works team in 2025. Razgatlioglu also saw 2026 as likely being his last chance to move to MotoGP.
Razgatlioglu secured equal machinery with Yamaha’s factory riders to join Pramac and help the Japanese brand prepare for MotoGP’s 2027 regulation changes and Pirelli tyres, as well. He was a demon on the brakes on Pirelli tyres in WSBK, where he was the class of the field.
Joining Pramac for the 2026 MotoGP season made Razgatlioglu the first-ever Turkish rider to enter the premier class. He also moved to MotoGP on the back of winning his third WSBK riders’ title. With that in mind, here is everything that you need to know about Razgatlioglu.
Toprak Razgatlioglu is a three-time World Superbike champion
The world first became aware of a rising star by the name of Razgatlioglu when the Alanya native entered the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2013. But his road to MotoGP ended in the junior category, as he moved to the World Superbike paddock from the 2015 campaign.
Razgatlioglu hit the ground running on production bikes, as he won the European Superstock 600 Championship during his first full season in 2015. He also fought for the 2017 European Superstock 1,000 Championship crown, before then debuting in World Superbikes in 2018.
Puccetti Racing gave Razgatlioglu his World Superbike Championship breakthrough on a Kawasaki ZX-10RR, on which he also won two races in 2019. A chance to join the Yamaha WSBK team then arose in 2020, and Razgatlioglu’s first World Superbike title came in 2021.
Razgatlioglu took his first World Superbike race win at the 2019 Magny-Cours round, and he also doubled down with victory in the Superpole Race. His victories in France that year were also the only race wins taken by a non-factory team throughout the 13 rounds and 38 races.
A 13-point margin in Razgatlioglu’s favour saw him end the iconic Jonathan Rea’s dominance of the World Superbike Championship, having seen the Northern Irishman take the previous six titles in a row. Razgatlioglu won 13 of the 37 races through his 2021 title-winning season.
But losing back-to-back title fights to Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista in 2022 and 2023 by 72 and 76 points saw Razgatlioglu quit Yamaha for BMW in the 2024 season. BMW had never won a World Superbike title before Razgatlioglu joined them, yet he won the 2024 and 2025 titles.
Razgatlioglu denied Ducati’s Nicolo Bulega the 2024 title by 43 points and also the 2025 title by 13 points. The 2025 season even saw the title fight go down to the final race for the first time since 2014, after Bulega accidentally took Razgatlioglu out in the final Superpole Race.
BMW saw Razgatlioglu produce dominant runs during the 2024 and 2025 seasons that set him up to secure the titles. He won 13 successive races during the 2024 campaign, and he won 13 in a row during the 2025 season amid a streak of 25 consecutive podium finishes.
Razgatlioglu’s run of 13 consecutive wins in 2024 came to an unfortunate end when he hit a trackside barrier during FP2 at Magny-Cours and suffered a traumatic pneumothorax. He fell at the penultimate corner on his first flying lap, for the Turkish star’s second crash that year.
Toprak Razgatlioglu tested for Yamaha’s MotoGP team years before his debut for Pramac
Yamaha finally lured Razgatlioglu away from his dominance in the World Superbike paddock with their offer of a two-year works MotoGP contract to race for their satellite team Pramac from the 2026 season. Razgatlioglu signed his first Yamaha MotoGP contract in June 2025.
But the 2026 season was not Razgatlioglu’s first taste of MotoGP, as Yamaha had previously tested the Alanya native on the YZR-M1 in view of a move to the prototype series. Yamaha first tested Razgatlioglu on a MotoGP bike at Aragon in 2022 and later at Jerez in April 2023.
Neither of Razgatlioglu’s initial tests with the inline four Yamaha M1 at Aragon or Jerez gave either party enough confidence that a move to MotoGP would be in their best interests. But Yamaha remained interested in Razgatlioglu, and finally brought him to MotoGP from 2026.
How old is Toprak Razgatlioglu? When was he born?
Toprak Razgatlioglu was born on October 16, 1996, which makes him 29 years old at the time of writing.
Where was Toprak Razgatlioglu born? What is his nationality?
Born in the beach resort city of Alanya on the south coast of Turkiye, Toprak Razgatlioglu is of Turkish nationality and he races under the Turkish flag. Razgatlioglu became the first ever Turkish rider to enter the MotoGP or 500cc championship when he joined Pramac in 2026.
How tall is Toprak Razgatlioglu? What is his height in feet?
Standing at a height of 185cm, Toprak Razgatlioglu measures in at 6ft in feet and inches. He is one of the tallest riders on the MotoGP grid.
Why is Toprak Razgatlioglu’s nickname ‘El Turco’?
Toprak Razgatlioglu gained the nickname ‘El Turco’ thanks to the fans in San Juan, Argentina when the World Superbike paddock visited the South American country early in his career. The nickname was a simple translation of ‘The Turk’ into Spanish to reflect his nationality.
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s net worth
While no credible publication cites an estimation for Toprak Razgatlioglu’s net worth, as of February 2026 the Turkish rider is reported to have a net worth in the region of $5m (£4m).
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