MotoGP rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu has compared his struggles during the first test of the 2026 premier class season to the struggles he faced early in his career in World Superbikes.
As a three-time world champion in World Superbikes, Toprak Razgatlioglu’s The debut season in MotoGP is one of the most anticipated rookie campaigns in recent years.
However, the Turkish rider struggled to adapt to the prototype machinery during his previous limited testing, which is to be expected, considering the differences in the rules used in WSBK.
Razgatlioglu seems a little down Because of it, and it is becoming difficult to repeat the same measurement of that rotation Pramak Teammate Jack Miller It is achieving.
Toprak Razgatlioglu opens up about his struggles in the MotoGP transition.
During the interview with NTV SportsThe three-time World Superbike title winner opened up by comparing the struggles he is currently facing in MotoGP to his first campaign in the production motorcycle racing category.
He began by highlighting compatriot Bahatin Sofuoglu’s slow start in last year’s WSBK, saying he expects the young Turk’s results to improve this season.
Razgatlioglu said: “It will be very difficult for Bahatin, but once he gets used to it, I believe it will be like us. Because I was like Bahatin in 2018. In 2019, some things started to change. I went to the factory team and won the world championship.
“I hope the same thing happens to Bahatin because we talk to him every now and then. He tells me that he feels the same. He told me: “Bro, he’s too fast, braking, I’m holding the line, I’m close to him, but I don’t have the lap time.”
“I experienced the same thing in 2018. What I’m experiencing now in MotoGP is exactly what I experienced in 2018. Sometimes it goes like that. That’s why I say that in MotoGP I didn’t get 1:57s in the test, although I’m doing such a good lap.
“It’s a lot different going into the back straight. I think I’m getting into the mid-57s, but I’m over 59. Then you know what happens automatically? You just stumble. You lose motivation. Because my expectations are different than the times you see 2 seconds slower. Seeing that really throws off my motivation.”
Yamaha boss Paolo Pavesio tells Razgatlioglu that the honeymoon is over. After the 29-year-old revealed his motivation for his lap time in Sepang.
Torak Razgatlioglu will have to adapt his riding style significantly to suit MotoGP.
At just over six feet tall, Razgatlioglu is now the tallest member of the MotoGP grid, which has its limitations.
As well as the obvious riding style changes the Alanya-born rider had to make, Razgatlioglu had to adapt to the way he sat on the prototype compared to the more successful WSBK bikes.
Because he is so tall, Yamaha had to remove Razgatlioglu’s rear air To avoid breaching MotoGP regulations.
No other rider on the grid has yet to succumb to this rule, meaning the 29-year-old will have the only bike in the Yamaha stable not to feature a rear wing.
