Toprak Razgatlioglu has no regrets: "The conditions with Yamaha have changed"

Razgatlioglu fired up for his MotoGP challenge: he spoke about the first tests with the Yamaha M1 and more.

He could have spent another year as a sure protagonist in the Superbike World Championship, waiting for 2027 with the new regulations and Pirelli tires, but Toprak Razgatlioglu preferred to move to MotoGP right away. He decided to jump on that train immediately, even at the cost of facing a very complicated 2026 season in the top class. Adapting, especially to the Michelin tires, is no walk in the park.

The three-time WorldSBK champion said he was happy with how the tests with the Iwata prototype went. At Aragon he simply did a shakedown day, while in Valencia he worked much more intensively. Obviously, everything is different compared to Superbike, but he quickly pinpointed the areas requiring more urgent work: "My biggest problem was the riding position. The next day we had another, private test session — he told Motosan — where I was able to try different seating positions, which helped me feel better and go faster. But going back to that first day, it didn’t go badly, even though I didn’t push to the limit. We only had one bike: if I had crashed, the tests would have been over. The first impression is good, but I need time to adapt."

Working on ergonomics is one of the first steps when changing bikes, and Yamaha is ready to help him improve his position on the M1: "I’m too far forward — explains Razgatlioglu — which doesn’t suit my riding style. I notice it especially under braking. We had many discussions with the team and the Japanese engineers. They will produce some new parts to change my position, especially with higher handlebars. I should be able to test everything in Malaysia."

Only Fabio Quartararo was faster than him among the Yamaha riders present in Valencia, but the Turk absolutely does not intend to get carried away by something that matters little at this stage: "It was just a single day of testing — he admits — so don’t pay too much attention to lap times: they don’t mean much. Jack and Alex were there to discover and understand the new Yamaha, now equipped with a V4 engine. As for me, I had no comparison with the 2025 bike, so our approach was inevitably different."

Toprak did not ride the Yamaha M1 with an inline-four engine; he started right away with the V4. Perhaps this can be a small advantage, but in any case he’s coming from Superbike machinery and tires that are very different, so he has a significant adaptation process ahead. He will be back in action at Sepang on January 29–30–31, 2026, when the shakedown is scheduled for test riders, rookies, and manufacturers holding class D concessions. The first collective test of 2026 will also be in Malaysia, on February 3–4–5.

Back in 2022 there was talk of a possible move to MotoGP with Yamaha, but Razgatlioglu is happy with his path in SBK and with arriving in MotoGP now: "The option I had available at the time had nothing to do with the contract I signed this year. I’m satisfied with my career; I’m happy to have switched to BMW and to have been successful there as well. I move one step at a time, without rushing."

In the past he had stated that he would only move to the top class with a factory team, but then he changed his mind: "Yes — Toprak replies — but the conditions Yamaha offers me today are those of a factory rider. Today the Pramac team has the same support and equipment as the factory team. The conditions are completely different from what they offered me three years ago." There’s no point looking back now; Razgatlioglu is focused on 2026: he wants to adapt to the M1 as best as possible and achieve good results. He’s aware of all the difficulties he will face and the changes he will need to make.