The dual WSBK title holder says he wants to make his mark in MotoGP. History and time are against him.
Having clinched his second WorldSBK title in 2024 riding for BMW, Toprak Razgatlioglu has made no secret of his desire to race in MotoGP in the near future. Ever since winning his first title for Yamaha in 2021, rumours linking Razgatlioglu to a MotoGP seat have swirled constantly, with a test onboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 in 2023 only increasing speculation.
Razgatlioglu’s manager Kenan Sofuoglu told GPOne that his rider will only make the move under the right circumstances though, saying: “The goal is to go to MotoGP in two years with a contract and a factory bike like Martin with Pramac. We are not interested in a deal like Marquez did with Gresini.”
“I say that because Marc has great support and strength behind him while we in Turkey have no sponsorship, let alone weight in terms of support. So we will see how to behave.”
Razgatlioglu’s desire for factory support is understandable, given that fighting for a MotoGP title is virtually impossible in a customer team running second-tier equipment. Indeed, even with factory support it’s exceedingly rare for an independent team to win a title, with the only two riders to have completed the feat in the last 25 years being Valentino Rossi onboard a factory supported NSR500 in the Honda Nastro Azzuro team in 2001 and Jorge Martin onboard the factory Ducati GP24 in the Pramac team in 2024.
There has been speculation that Toprak could move to MotoGP with BMW in 2027, coinciding with the change to 850cc regulations, but Toprak told GPOne he is keen to make the move as early as next year.
“I don’t think I’d go to the MotoGP with BMW, because if I were to go, it would be in 2027 or 2028. Maybe in the future, we’ll meet again but, for now, I can’t say I’ll be going to MotoGP (with BMW). We have to find a good contract, otherwise, I’ll stay in the Superbike. I don’t know, we’ll see in six or seven months.”
The urgency to complete the move to MotoGP is partly driven by age, Toprak explained:
“Yes, because of my age. Going there in 2026 would be perfect. Otherwise, I’ll continue to be a Superbike rider. Winning the title, with three different brands? If I stayed in the championship, I would also think about that, but my primary goal is the MotoGP.”
In the period during which the GP and World Superbike championships have coexisted, many riders have switched between the series. But while ex-GP riders have moved to WorldSBK and tasted championship success, no ex-WorldSBK star has so far managed to mount a serious title threat in GP.
Scott Russell, Troy Bayliss, Colin Edwards and Ben Spies have each ridden for a factory GP team after winning a Superbike World Championship but accrued only two wins between them – Troy Bayliss winning a Valencia wildcard ride for Ducati in 2006, and Spies winning at Assen in 2011 onboard a factory Yamaha YZR-M1. Despite never winning a WSBK title, Cal Crutchlow collected three MotoGP wins riding for LCR Honda from 2015 to 2020.
Toprak believes the level of talent in WorldSBK is comparable with MotoGP though, and that he can make the adjustments needed to adapt, saying:
“I’m not saying I’m the best in the world, but they all have a lot of talent, especially in MotoGP, and they push themselves to the limit. If I go to the MotoGP and adapt to the bike, we’ll see. It’s a different world.”
If Toprak Razgatlioglu does make the blockbuster switch to MotoGP, he’ll have to defy history and father time despite his incredible talent. But previous WorldSBK Champions have demonstrated that it is possible to be competitive in MotoGP later in their careers, with Bayliss taking his only MotoGP win at the age of 37 – the second oldest rider to have won a race in the MotoGP era after Valentino Rossi, whose Assen victory in 2017 came at the age of 38.
