Toprak Razgatlioglu once replicated one of Valentino Rossi’s most iconic MotoGP overtakes

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Valentino Rossi was the figurehead of the Yamaha MotoGP team for the best part of two decades, and Toprak Razgatlioglu will hope he can become the brand’s new star.

Yamaha lured Rossi away from Honda for the 2004 MotoGP season, having seen the Italian win the title in each of the previous three seasons. They also won four titles together, before Rossi departed for Ducati in 2011, only to then quickly return to Yamaha for the 2013 season.

Rossi remained the pillar of the Yamaha project until 2021, when he traded seats with Fabio Quartararo and moved to satellite team Petronas SRT for what proved to be his final term in the field. Quartararo won Yamaha their first and only riders’ title since 2015 in 2021, as well.

Now, Yamaha have signed Razgatlioglu on a two-year works contract to ride for their satellite team Pramac from 2026. The Japanese manufacturer are already looking ahead to the 2027 MotoGP regulations, in the hope that the rule changes will create their path back to success.

Toprak Razgatlioglu could be Yamaha’s next figurehead as he moves to MotoGP in 2026

Razgatlioglu will get his MotoGP debut with Pramac in 2026 as a three-time World Superbike champion, having won the 2025 WSBK title in his final act as a BMW rider. The 29-year-old also won the WSBK title for Yamaha’s Superbikes squad in 2021 and also with BMW in 2024.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname

Moving to MotoGP in 2026 presents a great risk for Razgatlioglu, who will adapt to Michelin tyres and Yamaha’s 1,000cc V4 bike in the final term of the current regulations. His switch is largely aimed at finding his feet in MotoGP before the arrival of Pirelli tyres and 850cc bikes.

One of the greatest hurdles that awaits next season is Razgatlioglu’s challenge of braking on a MotoGP bike compared to a World Superbike. The Turkish ace was a demon on the brakes on a production bike, and it even once let him replicate one of Rossi’s most iconic overtakes.

Toprak Razgatlioglu once replicated Valentino Rossi’s iconic overtake on Jorge Lorenzo in the 2009 MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix

Razgatlioglu pulled off a daring last-ditch overtake on Ducati rider Alvaro Bautista to win the Superpole Race at the 2024 WSBK Catalan round. It echoed the legendary move Rossi made on his then-Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo to win the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix in 2009.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Valentino Rossi from stats to net worth

Rossi won a titanic tussle with Lorenzo, which is widely regarded as one of if not the greatest last laps in MotoGP history, after darting to the Spaniard’s inside for Turn 14 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Rossi caught the Palma native by surprise as he took the inside line.

The 2024 WSBK Superpole Race similarly saw Razgatlioglu catch his rival by surprise with a last-gasp overtake at Turn 14, which lifted Bautista out of the way for the victory and also let Andrea Iannone through to steal P2. Bautista appeared to have the victory in the bag at T13.