Türkiye’s motorbike racing sensation and a two-time World Superbike champion, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, is gearing as much as make historical past.
In a groundbreaking announcement on Tuesday, Yamaha and Prima Pramac confirmed that Razgatlıoğlu will step into the premier class of bike racing in 2026, turning into the primary Turkish rider to compete within the MotoGP World Championship.
The news not solely marks a seismic shift within the 27-year-old’s profession but in addition indicators Yamaha’s aggressive push to reshape its future within the sport.
The transfer reunites Razgatlıoğlu with Yamaha, the producer he helped dominate the Superbike world, and locations him within the cockpit of the Prima Pramac Yamaha workforce – a revered satellite tv for pc outfit with a status for molding MotoGP contenders.
Yamaha’s General Manager Paolo Pavesio known as Razgatlıoğlu’s return to the Yamaha fold “a homecoming and a bold new challenge.”
He praised Toprak as probably the most profitable Yamaha rider in Superbike historical past, pointing to his two world titles and 63 race wins – a tally that makes him the second-winningest rider in WorldSBK historical past. “His spirit and skill align perfectly with our MotoGP ambitions,” Pavesio stated. “We believe 2026 is the right moment for this highly anticipated move.”
Razgatlıoğlu’s rise from town of Sakarya to worldwide acclaim has been nothing wanting electrical.
Since his World Superbike debut in 2018, he has develop into one of many sport’s most electrifying figures, identified for late-braking heroics, elbow-to-elbow duels, and a driving type that fuses finesse with fearlessness.
After clinching his first world title in 2021 by ending Jonathan Rea’s six-year reign, Razgatlıoğlu doubled down with one other crown in 2024.
So far within the 2025 Superbike season, Razgatlıoğlu has amassed 221 factors after 5 rounds, putting him second within the standings and sustaining his standing as a title contender.
But it’s the problem of MotoGP – the holy grail of bike racing – that now beckons.
The leap from WorldSBK to MotoGP is a leap few have mastered, because it calls for mastering prototype equipment, new tire dynamics, superior electronics, and a roster of seasoned opponents.
But Yamaha is banking on Razgatlıoğlu’s adaptability and psychological toughness.
The timing, too, is strategic. With sweeping modifications to MotoGP’s technical laws anticipated in 2027, Yamaha sees 2026 as a important window for Toprak to seek out his footing earlier than the grid is reshaped.
For Razgatlıoğlu, the transfer represents not only a profession milestone, however the success of a dream he’s lengthy saved in his again pocket.
“MotoGP has always been a dream,” he stated in a previous interview. “But I never wanted to go just to fill the grid. I want to fight, to win. Now, the door is open – and I’m ready to walk through it.”
The Prima Pramac Yamaha workforce – one in all MotoGP’s best satellite tv for pc groups – provides him the proper launchpad.
Known for creating top-tier expertise and carefully aligned with Yamaha’s manufacturing facility program, Pramac has the instruments and expertise to assist Razgatlıoğlu’s transition on the highest degree.
For Turkish motorsport, this second is monumental. Razgatlıoğlu’s debut will break new floor for a nation that has by no means earlier than positioned a rider on a MotoGP grid.
His Red Bull-backed model, coupled along with his reputation throughout Europe and Asia, guarantees to increase MotoGP’s attain into untapped markets.
Source: www.dailysabah.com