Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu took part in his official pre-season test as a MotoGP rider in Malaysia last week. Like his Yamaha colleagues, he faced disruption.
Razgatlioglu had also featured in the Shakedown, but this was his first time sharing the track with his 2026 competitors since the post-season test in Valencia last November.
The World Superbikes champion was 20th on the opening day of testing, slowest of all the full-time riders. Yamaha then withdrew their bikes from day two due to an engine issue.
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Razgatlioglu returned to the track on the final day with reduced power and finished the session down in 18th place.
Toprak Razgatlioglu ‘realising’ the extent of the challenge in MotoGP, says Paolo Pavesio
Of course, there’s nothing riding on lap times in testing. For Razgatlioglu, the priority is adjusting to a MotoGP bike after switching disciplines.
But as Yamaha boss Paolo Pavesio explained in an interview with Motosprint, he’s ‘realising’ how difficult that’s going to be. One of the biggest differences between the two championships is the tyres: WSBK is supplied by Pirelli, while MotoGP races with Michelin rubber.
Razgatlioglu’s move to Pramac was announced in June last year and generated as much hype as any blockbuster MotoGP transfer. But now the 29-year-old is under pressure to live up to it.
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Still, Pavesio is encouraged by Razgatlioglu’s early collaboration with crew chief Alberto Giribuola, who was working with Enea Bastianini at Tech3 last season.
“The bike needs to grow, and the rider will grow with it,” said Pavesio. “The honeymoon is over.
“We prepared a special M1, thinking about how he feels on the bike, and he’s started questioning various things again, realising he’ll have to adapt his riding style to certain intrinsic characteristics of these bikes and these tyres.
“He’s a smart guy, he has a team that supports him, and an excellent relationship with his crew chief. The talent and speed are there, as is an understanding of the magnitude of the challenge. Obviously, there are difficulties to overcome, but we’re only at the beginning of the journey.”
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Razgatlioglu followed Jack Miller, his Pramac teammate, during the test to study his riding style. He still doesn’t understand why he’s losing time through longer corners.
Surprisingly honest about his shortcomings, Razgatlioglu says his style isn’t suited to MotoGP and believes that World Superbikes rival Nicolo Bulega would be ‘much better’ at the outset.
Yamaha had to remove the rear aero from Razgatlioglu’s bike to ensure he was compliant with bike height regulations. This may be costing him lap time.
The new signing has another two days of testing on the M1 at Buriram before his first Grand Prix weekend begins on 27 February.
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