Turkish motorcycle racing star Toprak Razgatlıoğlu will take the most consequential step of his career on Tuesday when he climbs aboard Yamaha’s MotoGP machine for his first official World Championship test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
The session marks the formal beginning of his transition from World Superbike supremacy to the elite, unforgiving arena of MotoGP – a move that will make him the first Turkish rider to compete full-time in the premier class starting in 2026.
Fresh off sealing his third World Superbike crown this season, Razgatlıoğlu arrives in Valencia carrying both heavy momentum and towering expectations.
The 29-year-old Red Bull athlete dominated the 2025 WSBK campaign from start to finish, closing out his final year in the series at the top of the standings before turning his attention toward the discipline he has long dreamed of mastering.
His upcoming MotoGP leap with Yamaha is widely seen as one of the sport’s most anticipated transitions in recent years, as the Japanese manufacturer searches for a spark to reignite its competitiveness.
Razgatlıoğlu’s first taste of MotoGP machinery came just days earlier during a private test at MotorLand Aragon on Nov. 10.
Despite the unfamiliar aerodynamics, aggressive electronics package and the raw power of a prototype machine far removed from WSBK’s production roots, he posted a best lap only half a second off Honda test rider Aleix Espargaro’s benchmark – a promising early signal of his adaptability.
His braking precision, the signature trait that shaped his Superbike legend, translated instantly, earning praise from Yamaha test veteran Cal Crutchlow for both his speed and clarity of feedback.
That Aragon shakedown offered a brief preview of the transition ahead, but Tuesday’s Valencia test carries an entirely different weight.
Unlike the private run in Spain, this will be a full, public MotoGP test involving the entire 2025 grid – including established champions such as Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez.
Razgatlıoğlu is expected to complete extensive long-run simulations, adjust to the Yamaha M1’s evolving setup, and accelerate his understanding of throttle control, tire behavior and the bike’s more aggressive power delivery.
It is Yamaha’s first major step toward integrating him into its 2026 program, and a valuable opportunity for the team to measure his performance directly against the sport’s biggest names.
For Razgatlıoğlu, the moment represents both a farewell to the dominance he built in Superbikes and the first real test of a challenge he has openly embraced for years.
His WSBK resume – a three-time world champion, a relentless race-winner, a rider capable of bending corners to his will – has made him one of Türkiye’s greatest athletes.
But MotoGP offers an entirely new mountain, with faster bikes, more complex machinery, and rivals experienced in the sharpest end of Grand Prix racing.