Toprak Razgatlioglu close to signing with Honda: the backstory told by Xavi Fores

Fores talks about Razgatlioglu’s move from Superbike to MotoGP and reveals a behind-the-scenes story that also involves Honda.

Toprak Razgatlioglu likes challenges and, instead of staying comfortable in WorldSBK, he chose to test himself in MotoGP. He will do it with Yamaha, the most struggling brand on the grid: a choice that understandably raises doubts about what his results might be. The first tests were encouraging nonetheless.

In 2026 the Iwata manufacturer will adopt the V4 engine and will still have class D concessions to try to reduce the gap to the competition, which means it will be able to field its main riders in testing and therefore the Turk can spend more time on track. Adapting to a prototype after so many years in the Superbike World Championship is not easy, but he has confidence in himself and in the Yamaha MotoGP project. He signed a two-year deal and in 2027, in addition to a new technical regulation, Pirelli will be the tire supplier. Everyone will basically be starting from scratch and that scenario could help him.

Xavi Fores, interviewed as a guest on the Fast & Curious podcast, also had the chance to talk about Razgatlioglu, a rider he highly rates: "The victories of these past two years in SBK are not down to the bike, but to Toprak. If you give him a Ducati, he wins every race. I can sign that. We talked about the differences between MotoGP and Superbike; he told me he needs time and that they need to listen to him regarding his position on the bike, because it’s very particular. Being a rider who brakes very hard, he needs to be in his center of gravity in terms of position and to be very low. On the second day of a private test with Yamaha he did a 1'30.1, just a few tenths off Quartararo."

The current Bimota Superbike test rider believes that with time Toprak will be able to be very competitive in MotoGP, although much will depend on the level of the Yamaha M1: "2026 will be a year of adaptation, especially regarding the Michelin tires, which are very different from the Pirellis, particularly the front. I think that if Yamaha makes a good prototype, he’ll be a candidate to be in the top 5 in two years".

In Superbike the three-time world champion has impressed above all with his great braking ability, and there’s a question of whether he’ll need to change his riding style a lot when changing category. Fores responds on the topic: "He’ll need to adapt, but not so much because of braking on one wheel, because you can do that in MotoGP too. If you have a good feeling with the front, you can brake in the end. Toprak needs engine braking in the last part of the braking phase, because in the first meters he’s always with the wheel in the air. He always tells me he wants the bike to lock the engine brake in the last meters, when it touches down. In MotoGP he could apply the same concept, but the problem is whether the front tire will allow it."

Understanding Michelin tires isn’t easy, especially when you’ve spent many years in SBK with Pirellis. Fores explained the differences: "Pirelli has a lot of grip; it gives you great confidence when braking at lean and allows you to enter the corner on the brake. Michelin doesn’t: you have to brake earlier, stop, release the brake, and then turn in. This could be the longest adaptation phase he may face in MotoGP."

Signing for Yamaha can be seen as a risk, given that the Iwata brand is having problems in MotoGP, but the Bimota tester believes that El Turco can still earn better chances in the category if he manages some exploits with the M1: "Everything Toprak does with that bike, knowing it’s not competitive, will give him even more credit. Leaving Yamaha to go to Ducati is something he can always do, especially being Turkish. In the World Championship, the flag also matters and Toprak in Turkey is like Valentino Rossi in Italy. In motorcycle racing, the ceiling isn’t SBK, it’s MotoGP. Given his age as well, he wanted to at least try MotoGP. He knows it won’t go great; he’ll still have all the Superbike teams wanting him."

Fores also confirmed that Honda had indeed thought about signing Razgatlioglu: "He was negotiating with Honda before signing with Yamaha, but he would have done another year in SBK and then moved to MotoGP in 2027. He was close to signing, the deal was done, but then Honda said it had other priorities and so on. He didn’t want to hear any more about it and went to Yamaha."