Toprak Razgatlioglu admits a ‘strange’ situation made him ‘nervous’ on first Pramac outing

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Toprak Razgatlioglu became a three-time World Superbike champion in his final act as a BMW rider in 2025, with the Turkish star switching to MotoGP with Pramac in 2026.

The 29-year-old will finally make his race debut in the prototype championship next season, having signed a two-year factory Yamaha contract. Razgatlioglu will ride for satellite Yamaha team Pramac next season next to Jack Miller, as he adapts to everything that MotoGP offers.

Razgatlioglu has only enjoyed a handful of tests on MotoGP machinery to date, including his first outing as a Pramac pilot in the 2025 post-season Valencia test. The Alanya native got to experience the V4 M1 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, where Yamaha also staged a private test.

Toprak Razgatlioglu felt ‘nervous’ due to the focus on his MotoGP debut in the Valencia test

Yamaha already see Razgatlioglu as a future factory rider, with the Japanese outfit set to pay close attention to his rookie results with Pramac with an eye toward promoting him in 2027. Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins are set to be out of contract for Yamaha at the close of 2026.

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

The attention that Razgatlioglu received during the Valencia test from the “many people” in a MotoGP paddock made the Turkish star “nervous”. He admits that “everything” about the premier class paddock was unlike what he experienced over the last eight seasons in WSBK.

“At first, everything was completely different,” Razgatlioglu told SPEEDWEEK. “Not just the motorcycle [but] everything, the whole paddock.

“I admit, especially day one in Valencia was strange with everything going on. The many people and cameras made me a bit nervous on the first ride.”

Yamaha are designing Toprak Razgatlioglu a new handlebar for his bike in 2026

Razgatlioglu made his World Superbike debut in 2018 riding for Puccetti Racing – Kawasaki, before joining the works Yamaha team in 2020. He won the WSBK title with Yamaha in 2021, as well, before moving to BMW in 2024 and winning the title that year and also during 2025.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Pramac from the MotoGP team’s riders to bike

He was often the dominant force in the World Superbike field, despite the other BMW riders rarely enjoying success during his time with the brand. Razgatlioglu secured 18 wins from 30 races in 2024 and 21 wins out of 36 races in 2025, along with all 31 podiums by BMW riders.

Razgatlioglu feels the seating position is the “biggest difference” between a World Superbike and a MotoGP bike. He and Yamaha are also working on ways for the 2026 Pramac ace to be more comfortable on his M1, including creating “modified” clip-on handlebars for next year.

Razgatlioglu added: “Everything on the motorcycle itself is different from the superbike, but the biggest difference is the riding position. That’s very important to me. We mainly used the first day to find my position on the bike.

“The feel for the front wheel and the brakes, there’s still room for improvement there. We only had one motorcycle available and some slightly different parts on the first day, but there will be new parts soon.

“Yamaha will be bringing modified clip-on handlebars that are a bit higher. Then there are the other things, [like] the brakes, the tyres [and] the acceleration.”