Yamaha has announced that Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, currently racing a BMW in the World Superbike championship, will join the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team next year. Generally considered the most gifted and talented rider in WSB, Razgatlıoğlu won the WSB title twice, including with Yamaha in 2021 and with BMW in 2024.
Here is the press release from Yamaha:
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce that Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, current WorldSBK Champion and 2021 WorldSBK Champion with Yamaha, will return to Yamaha in the 2026 season, debuting in MotoGP with the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team.
After a stellar stint in the FIM Superbike World Championship (2018-2025), during which he was crowned WorldSBK Champion twice and became the second most victorious rider of all time with 63 victories so far, Razgatlıoğlu is ready to take on a new challenge in the premier class of MotoGP.
Having Razgatlıoğlu step up to MotoGP and join the factory-supported Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team, a collaboration between Yamaha and Pramac, is a strategic decision that allows the Turkish rider to showcase his unique talent at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing.
Further details regarding the 2026 line-up of the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team will be communicated in due course.
“We are thrilled to welcome Toprak back into the Yamaha family.
“Toprak, the most victorious Yamaha rider of all time in Superbike, has proven to be an exceptional talent, securing the WorldSBK Title twice, which is no mean feat. His transition to MotoGP is both a ‘homecoming’ and an exciting new challenge that’s been set up with the clear goal of progressive growth over time.
“His fighting spirit and determination are a perfect fit for both the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team and Yamaha’s bold MotoGP strategy, so we believe 2026 is the right time to make the move that many fans have been waiting for.”
— Paolo Pavesio, Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing
I guess Fabio did make pole once this year so far. So the Yamaha might come back. But the paycheck would have to look pretty nice to go from rockstar at WSB to the roadie who cleans the puke out of there back of the warm-up band’s bus in DieselGP.
Post
I guess the hope is that either they’re paying him well or he’s earned enough racing superbikes that he can make the choice to chase the MotoGP dream. As I mentioned below, I think it’s remarkable a guy his age is getting this chance at all. If I recall, he didn’t test very well when he got a chance to ride a GP bike a year or two ago.
Post
I am so happy for TopRaz, gotta share with my neighbors. Does anybody realize we ARE on the eve of destruction EVERYWHERE on Earth.
Filed in the back of my locker.
Post
I don’t follow the news. Tell me more. What’s up?
Post
This is interesting. While he’s shown the talent to win on decidedly not dominant equipment, I was sure it was too late for him. When has there ever been a nearly 30 year old rookie in MotoGP?
I also read an article about his BMW and he has some peculiar tastes (very low saddle height). I wonder if they’ll be able to accommodate him on a GP bike (which has a lot of stuff under the seat) or if he’ll be able to make the necessary adjustments. A saving grace is that he’s joining a satellite team that has all the concessions so he should be able to log more test time.
Post
They should be able to put the seat where he wants it. They’ll find some place to shove the nanny stack.
Post
In addition to the electronics, there is a mechanical ride height adjuster. Jack Miller binned his bike once and broke up the seat’s body work and there was a whole bunch of stuff in there.
Post
It’s not too difficult to Google Image some photos of the equipment. The Aprilia for instance has its equipment hanging in the breeze under the bike aft of the fairing. It’s not a lot of stuff. Every Ducati I have owned has a rear ride height adjuster. It’s basically a rod, nut and a sleeve with a pivot at either end. Replace that with a small hydraulic ram and all you have to do is hide the pump and reservoir wherever it will fit. And there is plenty of space around the bike to facilitate that sort of thing. The control unit? Even the ECU on most bikes now days is smaller than a lot on guy’s wallet. On the Aprilia for instance you can see that there is open space forward of the ride height equipment and aft of the fairing that’s just empty space. You would be surprised at the sheer volume of of some of the useless ‘bage that was removed from my Hypermotard. And it’s bodywork is much tighter than a GP bike’s bodywork. It’s surprisingly similar to dirt bike bodywork. And it’s not a zillion dollar race bike that weighs considerably less even with a bus load of nannies on board.
Anyway, it’s a race bike. They are not going to move the rider we’re he doesn’t want to be to serve the packaging of equipment. They’ll just find a place to move the stuff. The MotoGP bikes have become pretty bulbus to keep the rider out of the wind. So they have a lot of internal real estate. Actually I find the frontal cross-section of the current GP bikes crazy huge. But they obviously still go quite fast. It seems they have found that larger shape that they can more carefully manage is better than a smaller one with a turbulent rider poking out here and there.
Post
The ride height adjustment hardware on these bikes bears nothing in common with anything available to consumers. This is a device that reliably changes the ride height on a 300+ hp motorcycle that generates more cornering traction than any other kind of motorcycle.
There also isn’t much space, for anything on these bikes. Once a significant component is placed/located, it will require a significant amount of engineering to relocate it. Unless your name is Marquez, it’s pretty unlikely that anything will be significantly altered for rider preference or comfort. That just isn’t the way engineering works at this level.
They’re just motorcycles Dave. They have a ram that allows the bike to make ride height adjustments on the fly. If the systems were crazy complicated they would also be heavy. Any schmoe could make a similar system for a Ducati because the rear suspension linkage design would easily adapt to it. It has been that way for decades. They have a rod that changes the rear ride height independent form things like spring rate or preload. Replace that rod with a ram, pump, tank, and control and you’re done. If the aftermarket doesn’t already sell such a thing they will sometime soon. There’s always someone who wants everything and is willing to pay for it and someone else willing to take their money. The forks on any bike could be adapted also.
The power the bike makes or, basically, the quality of the tires is irrelevant. Go ahead and Google up some images of the systems and see for yourself. Or don’t. If you want to go through life thinking it’s some kind of voodoo magic, that’s fine too. Next time you’re near a Ducati, take a look at the rear suspension linkage. The top of the shock bolts to a rocker that has an adjustable rod on. The other side of it. That’s the ride height adjuster. Replace that with a ram and you could adjust it on the fly.
I just buckle on a thick gel pad for leg room.
Milk Crate Reginald