The two-time WorldSBK champion steps up to MotoGP with Yamaha in 2026, marking a long-awaited move for the Turkish superstar.
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It’s official, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu will be a MotoGP rider in 2026. The two-time World Superbike (WorldSBK) champion has signed a contract with Yamaha, confirming his long-rumoured move to the premier class. Razgatlıoğlu will race under the factory-supported Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team colours beginning next season.
The announcement comes just after the Aragon GP weekend and ahead of the WorldSBK round in Misano, and coincidentally, on the same day that 2025 WorldSBK title rival Nicolo Bulega was announced as a future Ducati MotoGP test rider for 2026.
Razgatlıoğlu, who clinched the WorldSBK title in 2021 with Yamaha, had previously tested the YZR-M1 MotoGP bike in 2023, first at a rain-hit Aragon test, followed by a more productive outing in Jerez. Despite expectations at the time, a move to MotoGP didn’t materialise, until now.
Now aged 28, Toprak’s entry into MotoGP is seen as a bold and strategic step by Yamaha. The partnership with Pramac, a current Ducati satellite team set to switch to Yamaha machinery in 2025, will give Toprak a competitive platform to develop in the ultra-competitive MotoGP grid.
“We are thrilled to welcome Toprak back into the Yamaha family,” said Paolo Pavesio, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing. “Toprak, the most victorious Yamaha rider of all time in Superbike, has proven to be an exceptional talent. His transition to MotoGP is both a ‘homecoming’ and an exciting new challenge. His fighting spirit and determination are a perfect fit for Yamaha’s bold MotoGP strategy.”
Further details on Prima Pramac Yamaha’s full 2026 rider line-up will be announced at a later date. For now, Toprak’s long-awaited MotoGP debut is locked in, and fans around the world are ready to witness one of the sport’s most electrifying talents take on the biggest stage in motorcycle racing.
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