Marco Bezzecchi
2027 will be a year of mass change for MotoGP, and one of those proposed changes already has many believing that Toprak Razgatlioglu will emerge as one of the most competitive riders on the grid.
The three-time World Superbikes title-winner is making the switch to Grand Prix motorcycle racing next season with Pramac Yamaha, but MotoGP fans don’t think Toprak Razgatlioglu can challenge for the title in his maiden season.
Instead, the 2027 season is expected to be the year that the Turkish rider asserts his authority. With the introduction of a regulatory overhaul inbound, a fresh slate will see the whole grid reset from zero.
However, MotoGP are switching tyre suppliers from Michelin to Pirelli, and through his prior experience with the Italian tyre manufacturers from his highly successful stint in the production motorcycle category, it is believed that Razgatlioglu will cause problems atop familiar rubber.
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Where will Toprak Razgatlioglu finish in his first MotoGP season?
Giorgio Barbier doesn’t think Moto2 and WSBK riders will have an advantage when Pirelli starts to supply MotoGP in 2027
In a recent interview by Motorsport.com, Pirelli’s motorcycle racing director, Giorgio Barbier, was asked several questions regarding the Italian tyre manufacturer’s introduction to the sport.
One of the questions fielded was in reference to whether riders who have raced atop Pirelli rubber in the past will benefit from their prior experience once the Italian tyre manufacturer starts supplying teams in the future.
The Italian doesn’t think there will be much of an advantage, answering, “I have great respect for the MotoGP riders. I think they won’t have any major problems understanding a new tyre.
“What we’ve seen over the years with great riders like Carlos Checa, Troy Bayliss, Alex Barros, or Max Biaggi, when they moved up to Superbikes, is that they understood the tyres immediately.
“Some even won their first race very soon, so I don’t see any major issues from that perspective. What is clear is that those who have more time and more opportunities to test our tyres over the next year will have a slight advantage in 2027.”
Marc Marquez has made his feelings clear on the change, with the 2025 title-winner highlighting the adaptation period that was required when Michelin took over from Bridgestone in 2016.
A number of unusual crashes followed, as riders tried to test the limit of the new compounds with alarming consequences.
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Toprak Razgatlioglu surprised Fabio Quartararo during MotoGP’s post-season test in Valencia
Razgatlioglu’s debut season in MotoGP will be somewhat of a curious one. Fresh off back-to-back titles in WSBK, the 29-year-old is joining a team who have struggled massively in recent campaigns.
Yamaha will be entering a brand new bike in 2026 that houses a V4 engine layout, which differs from the inline-four they were previously running in the M1.
As expected, the new bike will bring with it some teething issues, and Yamaha aren’t expecting to deliver results until the second half of next season, at the very least.
The Turkish rider is going to need to ride with what he’s got, with one eye looking ahead to the regulation reset in 2027 for a better opportunity at challenging for a title.
Despite this, Razgatlioglu thoroughly impressed Fabio Quartararo during MotoGP’s post-season test in Valencia last week.
The 2021 world champion was unsure of how the WSBK star would fare on prototype machinery, but was taken aback after sifting through Razgatlioglu’s data in the aftermath.
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