Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu may be a two-time World Superbikes champion, yet there are lots of questions to be answered when the Turkish rider joins Pramac Yamaha in MotoGP.
The 28-year-old could even move from the production bike series to the prototype class as a three-time WSBK champion come the 2026 MotoGP season. After another dominant visit to Donington Park, Razgatlioglu tops the 2025 WSBK standings by four points to Nicolo Bulega.
Razgatlioglu’s treble at Donington put the reigning World Superbikes champion above Ducati rival Bulega in the standings for the first time this year. The BMW rider has even won each of the last six and eight of the last nine WSBK races to overhaul a 34-point deficit to the Italian.
Pramac are paying even more attention than ever to Razgatlioglu’s World Superbikes results now that he will ride for them from the 2026 MotoGP season on a two-year factory Yamaha contract. Next term will see the Alanya native, who turns 29 this October, debut in MotoGP.
Herve Poncharal feels Toprak Razgatlioglu’s adaptation ‘could take longer’ without an experienced MotoGP crew chief
But questions still linger ahead of his switch, given the different machinery and settings the Turkish rider will find in MotoGP. Ducati general manager Luigi Dall’Igna thinks Razgatlioglu will need to adapt his braking style in MotoGP and to the Michelin tyres after using Pirellis.
How the soon-to-be Pramac Yamaha rider adapts to a MotoGP bike is the biggest question awaiting Razgatlioglu, who wants to use the 2026 season to learn the series and its circuits before the arrival of 850cc bikes and Pirelli tyres in 2027 when top results will be expected.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname
But KTM Tech3 team boss Herve Poncharal thinks Razgatlioglu might jeopardise the rate at which he adapts to MotoGP by insisting on bringing his BMW World Superbikes crew chief Phil Marron with him to Pramac Yamaha, rather than hiring one with experience in MotoGP.
He told Motosprint. “It’s difficult to plan ahead, if only because every rider is different. I read that Toprak might bring his current crew chief, and that could have pros and cons.
“When Enea [Bastianini] came to KTM, he asked for [Alberto] Giribuola and [Maverick] Vinales, himself, asked for [Manu] Cazeau.
“But with a rider and crew chief coming from SBK, it’s different given that if they both have to discover MotoGP. The whole process could take longer.
“Having a crew chief with in-depth knowledge of MotoGP can be helpful, but the rider has to decide. Marquez changed crew chief after many years, and it doesn’t seem to be going badly. Toprak will be taking a leap of faith regardless.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s right-hand man Phil Marron was previously a MotoGP crew chief
Razgatlioglu first worked with Marron at Kawasaki’s World Superbikes team back in the 2019 season for his second year on the grid. The Turkish ace then kept the same crew chief over his four seasons at Yamaha from 2020 to 2023 and also since he switched to BMW for 2024.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Pramac from the MotoGP team’s riders to bike
Marron is firmly his right-hand man in the WSBK paddock, having struck an instant bond. He could now follow Razgatlioglu to MotoGP with Pramac Yamaha in 2026, but no decision has yet been made on if the Northern Irishman will stand in the Alanya native’s garage next year.
It would not be a complete shock to his system if Marron were to follow Razgatlioglu across to MotoGP next term. He was previously Eugene Laverty’s crew chief in the prototype series back in 2015 and 2016 after Marron also followed the Irishman over from World Superbikes.
Marron worked with Laverty in the 2014 WSBK season and remained at his side in MotoGP for two years. Laverty also experienced Honda and Ducati machinery over those seasons at Aspar. But a lot has changed in MotoGP over the past decade for Marron to now adapt to.
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