SBK | Yamaha MotoGP test: this is why Toprak wanted to leave early

By winning the World Superbike Championship in the 2021 season, Toprak Razgatlioglu ended record holder Jonathan Rea’s title streak. Razgatlioglu gave Yamaha their second title in production derivatives after Ben Spies in 2009 and put himself in a position to aspire to a promotion to MotoGP.

Thus, Yamaha organized two MotoGP tests in Spain. In the summer of 2022, Razgatlioglu rode the M1 for the first time and got a first feel for the MotoGP bike during the Aragon test. Due to the bad weather, however, the Turk did not do many laps. A second test in Jerez in the spring of 2023 should have allowed more concrete conclusions to be drawn.

However, this second test was not really positive: Yamaha did not respond to the rider’s wishes and did not provide many tires. As a result, Razgatlioglu lost interest and wanted to end the test after the first day. The failure of the test marked the end of the collaboration with Yamaha.

Yamaha did not respond to the wishes of the former Superbike champion

Razgatlioglu was annoyed that Yamaha did not take on board the feedback from the Aragon test. “There were discussions about the saddle position even before the test. Normally in Yamaha there are three different saddles, but when I came to the test, the bike was the same as before,” says Razgatlioglu, wondering what Yamaha actually wanted to achieve with the test.

“I just did my laps. I didn’t even have many tires available,” reports the former Superbike world champion, who was friendly with the Yamaha mechanics in the pits and grateful for the opportunity. “I respected it,” observes Razgatlioglu.

However, as Yamaha did not respond to requests, Razgatlioglu saw no reason to complete a second day of testing. “I had no intention of continuing to shoot after the first day. I talked to Kenan (Sofuoglu, his manager, ed). He told me that I should show respect to Yamaha,” Razgatlioglu revealed a year later.

Razgatlioglu was aware that riding a MotoGP on a Grand Prix circuit is something special. “All young riders have a dream: they want to ride a MotoGP bike one day. I was able to live this experience and this makes me very happy”, he explains.

Toprak Razgatlıoglu and Cal Crutchlow

Did Yamaha cause the end of the collaboration during the test?

“Yamaha didn’t have the plan to let me enter MotoGP,” Razgatlioglu is sure. Together with manager Sofuoglu, he developed a strategy and made concrete requests about their future together in World Superbike.

Then came the breakup with Yamaha: “They didn’t want the new contract and so we started talking with BMW. I signed with BMW and now I am very happy. It was a new challenge for me and I am more motivated than before,” reports Razgatlioglu.

The risky move from Yamaha to BMW paid off for Razgatlioglu, who placed in the top three in the first round with the BMW M1000RR, followed by a first victory in the second race weekend in Barcelona. Razgatlioglu is currently the main pursuer of the leader and reigning champion Alvaro Bautista.