Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu now has a solid idea of what to expect from Yamaha’s MotoGP bike when he makes his premier class debut in 2026.
Pramac have paired him with the experienced Jack Miller, who should be able to help the 29-year-old as he completes the complex switch from World Superbikes.
Razgatlioglu is a three-time World Superbike champion and is making a move fairly late in his career. For years, he has been linked with Yamaha.
Now he gets to live out his MotoGP dream, embarking on a journey with a resurgent Japanese manufacturer who are on the long road to recovery following a major blip.
Carlo Pernat has questioned Yamaha’s ‘risk’ with Razgatlioglu, and is surprised that they would throw him in for his debut in the final year of a set of regulations.
Luigi Dall’Igna told Razgatlioglu to ‘stay calm’ when he made his testing debut at the post-season test in Valencia. He has overseen many debuts over the years with Ducati.
READ MORE: Fabio Quartararo has changed his Toprak Razgatlioglu expectations after what he saw in Valencia test
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s manager thinks that he’ll ‘surprise’ the MotoGP grid with his front-end skills
Razgatlioglu has ‘slowly realised’ his braking style won’t work, and that he’s going to need to adapt things if he wants to be competitive.
Jorge Lorenzo says Yamaha need to ‘help’ Razgatlioglu learn the Michelin tyres, which are quite different to the Pirelli rubber that he is familiar with.
New teammate Miller felt ‘sorry’ for Razgatlioglu ahead of his first test session, after seeing how eager he was to get on the bike. He had to wait quite some time for a chance.
Now, his manager, Kenan Sofuoglu, has spoken about how he expects the Turkish rider to ‘surprise’ his competitors next year.
“Many think he won’t be able to brake like he did in SBK, but everyone will see that he can do it just as well,” he said, according to the Italian edition of Motorsport.com. “Even when he arrived in SBK, no one drove like him.
“He’ll surprise everyone. We’re not pushing him to take risks or set the fastest time. He needs to understand the tyres, the bike, and the championship. When the time comes, we’ll demand more from him.”
READ MORE: Paolo Pavesio shares how Toprak Razgatlioglu has changed since he raced for Yamaha in WSBK
How did Toprak Razgatlioglu fare at MotoGP’s post-season test in Valencia?
Razgatlioglu was ‘a little bit sad’ about his MotoGP move, and having to wave goodbye to a World Superbike paddock that he has been a part of for more than six years.
An interrupted day of running at the post-season test due to weather stripped him of some useful running time.
He finished the day 18th after registering 53 laps, trailing the top of the times by 1.3 seconds on Yamaha’s V4 engine.
It was a solid showing and suggests that the V4 might have made a few strides over the last few weeks. The aim is for it to be ready and competitive for the start of the 2026 campaign.
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