Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s MotoGP career is firmly underway as he begins testing with Pramac Yamaha in Malaysia.
The Turkish rider has been getting up to speed with the team’s V4 bike after moving over from World Superbikes. Razgatlioglu has a whole new machine, tyre and paddock to adapt to.
Podiums, wins, titles? What is Toprak’s CEILING in MotoGP? 🤔
He competed in the shakedown session at Sepang before the official test, with Yamaha’s full-time riders able to do so due to the concessions system. Razgatlioglu matched Fabio Quartararo’s race time in the shakedown.
Yamaha test rider Andrea Dovizioso is helping Razgatlioglu during testing as he looks to get accustomed to his MotoGP bike. But after the first day, he admitted that he was already having trouble.
Toprak Razgatlioglu feels ‘stressed’ on the straights on his Yamaha MotoGP bike
Razgatlioglu was P20 on the timesheets on day one of testing, almost two seconds behind pacesetter Marc Marquez.
Yamaha had to take off Razgatlioglu’s rear aero to comply with bike height regulations. It is unclear whether this affected his performance, but the 29-year-old has revealed that he struggled on the straights.
Asked by Speedweek if he had any predictions for the 2026 season, he said: “I wouldn’t dare make any predictions regarding the positions.
“But I’m sure that progress will be noticeable after three or four events. If I manage to ride the bike in a relaxed manner, then anything is possible. I like the higher speed of the GP bike.
“But I also admit that I get a bit stressed when I get onto the straight because I have so many things to think about. I’m afraid of forgetting something. In Valencia, I forgot the launch control during the practice start, but I’m doing quite well with it now.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname
Toprak Razgatlioglu thinks he would have adapted better to MotoGP if he had raced in Moto2
Razgatlioglu said in another interview with Speedweek that he might have adapted better to his MotoGP bike if he had progressed through the lower categories.
“Perhaps adapting to the MotoGP machine would be easier if I had ridden in Moto2,” he said, before listing the things he needs to adapt to before his debut season in 2026.
Has Toprak moved to MotoGP too LATE?
“It’s more difficult this way because the Superbike demands a completely different style. My recipe was simple: brake as late as possible and get on the gas as early as possible. Looking at the data, I see that this doesn’t work in MotoGP.
“I need to carry more corner speed to improve my acceleration; that’s what I need to focus on. I would be much better if I lost some speed on the brakes and could increase my cornering speed. When I’m chasing lap times, I hardly improve.
“My feeling is good, but I can’t achieve a strong lap time. Because I always fall back into my Superbike style, and the bike doesn’t work with that. On top of that, the tires change completely differently after four or five laps than the Pirellis did.”
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