Toprak Razgatlioglu reveals the most basic thing he has to learn about being a MotoGP rider

Add as preferred source on Google

Toprak Razgatlioglu was the main attraction as Pramac revealed their 2026 MotoGP bike on Tuesday evening. Paolo Campinoti’s team are the first to showcase their new livery.

The team have largely stuck with the colour scheme they used in 2025, but this will be a bike that goes down in MotoGP history if Razgatlioglu’s career lives up to the hype.

Yamaha’s successful swoop for the three-time World Superbikes champion was the headline move in last year’s MotoGP rider market. He begins at their satellite team next to Jack Miller.

Razgatlioglu, who replaced Miguel Oliveira, has tried to play down expectations for his debut season. Pramac finished bottom of the teams’ standings in 2025 as the only team who failed to score a podium of any description.

Toprak Razgatlioglu has to learn all-new tracks in MotoGP

Speaking on stage in Siena, Razgatlioglu expressed confidence, even before his first race, that he had made the ‘right decision’.

“It’s a very special moment now,” he said. “Finally, the dream has come true. Joining Pramac is the right decision because everyone at the team is really warm.”

Reflecting on his first official MotoGP test in Valencia last year, Razgatlioglu said: “There were positives. After Superbike, the MotoGP bike is completely different, but especially the acceleration is incredible. On the straight, the bike is really fast!”

Razgatlioglu has been racing on Pirelli tyres in World Superbikes but will now be using Michelin rubber. This will make the adaptation period more difficult, and the 29-year-old has also pointed out that he needs to ‘learn some tracks’ too.

He said: “I need time to adapt the bike, learn, especially the tyres, feeling the limit. We will see. We have a lot of time to test, especially in Malaysia. I hope we find a way to adapt, because this is a completely different bike, I just need time.

“It’s not an easy year for me. This is a really big challenge. ’26 may be the learning year, but ’27, after the new rules, maybe we are fighting for the podium.

“This year is really important for me. I need to adapt to the bike and learn some tracks.”

Which MotoGP tracks are new for Toprak Razgatlioglu?

Razgatlioglu is familiar with many traditional MotoGP venues from his time in Superbikes. But because that championship almost exclusively takes place in Europe, some of the flyaway races present a new challenge.

These include Austin, Motegi and Sepang. He’s never raced at Goiana in Brazil either, but the same goes for the rest of the field as the race returns to the calendar.

By the time Razgatlioglu arrives at the Malaysian GP in September, he will have hundreds of laps under his belt from pre-season testing. But the Texas weekend in late March, just his third MotoGP start, could be particularly challenging.

As he hinted at the launch event, Razgatlioglu should be a bigger force in 2027 when the series switches to Pirelli tyres and the rule changes give Yamaha a chance to catch up.