Jonathan Rea says Toprak Razgatlioglu’s challenge in MotoGP this year is as much ‘mental’ as mechanical. Rea and Razgatlioglu were rivals in the World Superbike Championship.
While Ria only competed in two MotoGP events, Razgatlioglu He was able to make a complete switch to the Grand Prix race. He scored his first point in the United States last weekend.
Razgatlioglu impressed Fabio QuatararoYamaha’s traditional lead rider, beating the odds. Experienced in both qualifying and the race, Pramac is beating teammate Jack Miller.
How would you rate Torak Razgatlioglu’s first three MotoGP races out of 10?
Jonathan Rea says ‘mind management’ is crucial for Toprak Razgatlioglu.
to speak GPONRea emphasized that Razgatlioglu is an ‘extraordinary’ rider who could be one of the ‘best’ at Yamaha.
Razgatlioglu struggled to see the timing screens. First time riding the M1, currently the slowest bike on the grid. Accustomed to fighting for race wins, he is now in a position where P15 is doing well.
Rea said the readjustment would be difficult and that Razgatlioglu had high ‘expectations’ after winning three WSBK titles. He was linked to MotoGP for years before finally making the move.
“He’s very talented,” Ria said. “I hope he will find the right confidence, because it is important for him. He is not used to being outside the top, so mental management will be important.
“I hope Yamaha finds the right way, because even one of the best, Fabio, is struggling. When you’re a beginner and learning new circuits, all the expectations on your shoulders are very heavy.
“The most important thing is to develop step by step without too much pressure. As I said, Toprak is not used to being off the stage, so he has to fight mentally.
Miller says there are two different styles at Yamaha: Fabio and Toprak. After testing the bike, Razgatlioglu realized it wasn’t that simple.
“It will take time, but the most important thing is that the rider feels comfortable and has confidence in the bike. If he can tailor it to his needs, he can be one of the best at Yamaha.”
Torak Razgatlioglu’s eye-opening crash statistics after his first MotoGP race
The second tournament in 2026 Razgatlioglu equalized the results of the 2025 crash. While that stat looks damning on paper, it’s a testament to his consistency in WSBK (he only crashed twice last year).
Razgatlioglu blamed technical problems A disastrous finish to the race in the Thai Sprint, so it’s not limited to driver error. It also stays near the bottom of the leaderboard, and doesn’t hit the pavement in testing.
There is reason to be confident, however, that Razgatlioglu will not be risk-averse in MotoGP despite his early mishaps.
The 29-year-old has consistently said that 2027 is his priority. After a year of adaptation, it switches to Pirelli rubber, which promises to be a truly competitive Yamaha bike.
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