Toprak Razgatlioglu, from the SBK throne to the MotoGP challenge: "I have to be realistic"

Razgatlioglu wants to win the MotoGP challenge, but 2026 could be a very difficult year: the Turk is mainly targeting 2027.

Prima Pramac Yamaha is the first MotoGP team to hold a presentation event for the new racing season. On Tuesday, January 13 in Siena, Paolo Campinoti’s squad will unveil the liveries of the M1s ridden by the confirmed Jack Miller and the newcomer Toprak Razgatlioglu.

There is a lot of curiosity around the Turkish rider, a three-time Superbike world champion and in his first season in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Some doubt he will be fast, while others are certain he will be competitive in the new category. It goes without saying that 2026 will be a tough year, being his debut season and with many new things to adapt to. MotoGP is a different world compared to SBK.

In 2025 Razgatlioglu has already ridden the Yamaha M1 in several tests, but it is still too early to make predictions about the results he can achieve; he has a learning process ahead: "I need to learn — he told La Gazzetta dello Sport — and to adapt to the bike. I will also have to learn many tracks. It’s a big challenge for me. I don’t know if I’ll be competitive right away, I have to be realistic. Maybe not in the first year, but I’ll try to do my best. If I were to get on the podium already in 2026 it would be incredible, but my biggest goal is 2027."

Toprak is heavily focused on 2027, the year when a new technical regulation will come into force in MotoGP and there will also be a new tire supplier, Pirelli: "Maybe I’ll be able to ride more easily, because I know Pirelli tires. The other MotoGP riders are fast and experienced, so I think it will be easy for them to adapt as well. But I already know them, and maybe it will be easier for me to get started. I believe that in 2027 I will be more competitive, and not just because of the tires: the bike is very important too. I think Yamaha will be stronger in 2027. Everything will be new for everyone, I think Yamaha will be strong again and I hope to have some great races."

The three-time SBK world champion has great confidence in the Yamaha project, even though in 2025 the Iwata manufacturer finished last in the constructors’ standings. The 2026 M1 will adopt a V4 engine, and it will be interesting to see whether this historic revolution will deliver the hoped-for improvements. With the ability to still rely on grade D concessions, there will still be “free” tests and Razgatlioglu himself will have more time on track to get to know the bike and try to become more competitive.

Even if this could be a “learning” year, with results very different from what he was used to in Superbike, Toprak is hungry for success and will give his all to achieve good finishes already in 2026. The first tests were promising; we’ll see if El Turco can spring a surprise over the course of the championship.