Toprak Razgatlioglu, the 29-year-old three-time WorldSBK champion, began his MotoGP transition under a two-year factory Yamaha deal with Pramac and is scheduled to make his race debut on March 1 in Thailand. Yamaha has mobilized support to speed his learning, enlisting test rider Andrea Dovizioso and other resources at Sepang to smooth the switch from WorldSBK machinery and Pirelli rubber to MotoGP-spec bikes and Michelin tires. Team messages and Razgatlioglu’s own comments framed 2026 as a development year focused on setup work, track familiarization and adapting riding technique to the prototype environment.

During the Sepang shakedown Razgatlioglu posted a 1:58.465 on Day 3 to finish 10th, ahead of teammate Jack Miller, and on the first day of the regular MotoGP test he was the slowest full-time rider, completing the session 20th and registering a gap of roughly 1.6–1.9 seconds to Marc Márquez and about 0.8–1.0 seconds to the fastest Yamaha ridden by Fabio Quartararo. He was within roughly half a second of Jack Miller and Alex Rins, establishing them as nearer-term benchmarks while the team focuses on data-gathering rather than outright lap times. Jack Miller publicly reacted to seeing Razgatlioglu on the Yamaha, noting visible differences in seating and aerodynamics tied to the Turkish rider’s height.

Technically, Razgatlioglu has been experimenting with a markedly different ergonomics package—lower seat, higher handlebars—and reported that adding a rear tail improved braking stability and rear control, while Yamaha prepared an M1 set-up for his larger stature. His height (over six feet) limits the use of Yamaha’s seat aero without breaching MotoGP bike-height rules, a practical constraint that factors into fit and aero choices. On tires, he said Michelin rubber feels different to Pirelli: braking is good but acceleration requires a smoother approach, so his aggressive WorldSBK late-braking habits need modification to suit MotoGP-style corner entry and chassis behavior. The combined package of ergonomics, tire adaptation and revised braking technique remains the immediate focus as he continues incremental adjustments ahead of the opening round.

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