Toprak Razgatlioglu is preparing for his rookie MotoGP season with Yamaha Pramac after withdrawing from the World Superbike Championship with pre-season testing underway.
The three-time WSBK champion spent three days of testing at Sepang this week, one of the two starters on the MotoGP grid in 2026 alongside Moto2 champion Diogo Moreira at LCR Honda. Yamaha He crawled Razgatlioglu Two-year factory contract to MotoGP.
MotoGP teams test riders and factory Yamaha racing, plus PramakHe also participated in the Sheikh Daoud of Sepang. Yamaha are the only manufacturer in the discount category D, so field work riders Fabio Quattararo and Alex Rins as well as Pramac pilots Jack Miller and Razgatlioglu.
Razgatlioglu will spend his rookie MotoGP season with Pramac, but could see him through 2027 if his future with the factory Yamaha team performs as expected. Quatararo has agreed to join Honda in 2027.His contract with Yamaha expires at the end of the 2026 season.
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Iker Lecuona warns Toprak Razgatlioglu is entering MotoGP with ‘high expectations’.
Moving up to MotoGP is a big challenge for Razgatlioglu, who has spent his career so far in the World Superbike Championship. Razgatlioglu sees the riding position as a “big difference” on the Yamaha MotoGP bike. WSBK bikes from the past eight years.
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Therefore, the Turkish rider is using 2026 as a learning opportunity before introducing new regulations at MotoGP in 2027, banning 850cc engines and ride height devices. But former WSBK rival Iker Lecuona fears Razgatlioglu has set his targets too high for his first MotoGP season.
Lecuona said Sports worldHe is a talented and fast rider, proven in WorldSBK by both Yamaha and BMW. It works great.
“Personally, I think when you change teams or championships, you have to be a little careful with your words. He’s coming in with a lot of expectations.”
Iker Lecuona fears Toprak Razgatlioglu will ‘fail 100% in time’ with his WSBK braking technique.
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Ahead of his MotoGP debut, Razgatlioglu said his “biggest target” is to fight Marc Marquez in 2027.. Having adapted to the V4 Yamaha MotoGP bike, ride height equipment and Michelin tyres, the Alanya native is well aware that he will have a lot to learn at Pramac in 2026.
Lecuona is considered Michelin MotoGP tires are the biggest obstacle facing Razgatlioglu in 2026. The former KTM Tech3 MotoGP rider and new Ducati World Superbike pilot believes Razgatlioglu will not be able to brake like he did with Michel. Pirelli Tires in WSBK.
He said: “I think he will struggle with the Michelins in particular. The Michelins don’t really suit his style. With the Michelins you have to stop the bike on the straights and get into the corners smoothly.”
“In contrast, with the Pirellis you can mainly brake on the entrance to the corner and attack one tire on the entrance like a toprack. With the Michelins, you can’t do that – you’ll crash 100 percent of the time.”
Pirelli is set to replace Michelin as MotoGP’s sole tire supplier in 2027, which should help Razgatlioglu fight closer to the front of the field next year. Razgatlioglu’s braking strength was one of his biggest advantages in World Superbikes, as he was exceptionally capable of late braking.
