Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s riding position has made headlines before the 2026 MotoGP season, with Yamaha forced to make changes to their bike. Sylvain Guintoli has explained the physical toll it takes on the three-time World Superbikes champion.
Razgatlioglu will make his official MotoGP debut in Thailand this weekend after switching disciplines at the age of 29.
The Turkish rider has not been able to use Yamaha’s seat aero during MotoGP testing because he sits so low down. Under the rules, the gap between the seat and the leg wings cannot exceed 150mm.
Where do you think Toprak Razgatlioglu will finish on his MotoGP debut?
The advantage is that it helped him to stop the bike, but Pramac have asked Razgatlioglu to brake earlier and compromise his notoriously aggressive style.
Sylvain Guintoli likens Toprak Razgatlioglu’s riding position to ‘yoga’
Guintoli was previously a test rider for BMW while Razgatlioglu rode for the German manufacturer in World Superbikes. He said it was physically painful to use the same seat.
Razgatlioglu has forced himself to perform ‘next-level yoga’ in pursuit of lap time, though Yamaha engineers may encourage him to modify his position if they feel he’s leaving too much rear downforce without the wings.
“He did that at BMW as well,” Guintoli explained on the ‘Gas it Out‘ podcast. “The seat was very, very low. I would jump on his bike, being the test rider for BMW.
What’s your podium prediction for the Thailand Grand Prix?
“It hurts your knees and legs. You feel like your backside is really close to the footpegs. It’s hard to move on the bike. You’re obviously constantly pushing on your legs.
“We all try and be flexible, but this was like next-level yoga you need to do to be able to handle that bike.”
Some experts expect Razgatlioglu to struggle in 2026 due to the scale of the adaptation. After racing on Pirelli tyres in WSBK, he is now acclimatising to Michelin rubber.
Fabio Quartararo tells Toprak Razgatlioglu he’s joining Yamaha at a ‘low point’
Razgatlioglu was 21st out of 22 riders on the final day of pre-season testing in Buriram. He only outpaced Michele Pirro, a test rider who will replace the injured Fermin Aldeguer at Gresini this weekend.
The six-tenth gap to Alex Rins in P20 is somewhat concerning for Razgatlioglu, but it does at least demonstrate that Yamaha have the slowest bike in MotoGP right now due to the well-documented problems with the V4. That reduces the pressure on their new signing.
Indeed, Fabio Quartararo says Razgatlioglu is joining Yamaha at a ‘low point’ for the project. He says it’s normal to feel ‘desperate’ but urged him to be patient.
Razgatlioglu is looking at teammate Jack Miller for inspiration. He followed Miller in Thailand and was ‘amazed’ by the Australian’s lean angle on corner entry.
Expect the studying process to continue for the first few rounds of the 2026 season at least.
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