Yamaha organized two MotoGP tests for Toprak Razgatlioglu in the past: At the second test in Jerez, Razgatlioglu wanted to finish work early
By winning the Superbike World Championship in the 2021 season, Toprak Razgatlioglu ended the winning streak of record champion Jonathan Rea. Razgatlioglu gave Yamaha its second WSBK title after Ben Spies in 2009 and put himself in position for promotion to MotoGP.
Yamaha organized two MotoGP tests in Spain. In the summer of 2022, Razgatlioglu rode the M1 for the first time and got an overview of the MotoGP bike at the test in Aragon. Poor weather meant that Razgatlioglu did not ride many laps. A second test in Jerez in spring 2023 should allow more concrete conclusions to be drawn.
However, the second test was not really conclusive. Yamaha did not respond to the Turkish 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 unsuccessful test heralded the end of the collaboration with Yamaha
Yamaha did not respond to the wishes of the former WSBK champion
Razgatlioglu is annoyed that Yamaha did not implement the feedback from the Aragon test. “There were already discussions about the seating position before the test. Normally there are three different seats at Yamaha. 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 have many tires available either,” reports the former Superbike World Champion, who was friendly with the Yamaha mechanics in the pits and was grateful for the opportunity. “I respected it,” remarks Razgatlioglu.
However, as Yamaha did not respond to the requests, Razgatlioglu saw no reason to complete a second day of testing. “I wasn’t actually planning to ride any further after the first day. I had a chat with Kenan. He said that I should show Yamaha respect,” revealed Razgatlioglu a year later.
Razgatlioglu was aware that it was something special to ride a MotoGP bike on a Grand Prix circuit. “All young riders have a dream. They want to ride a MotoGP bike one day. I was able to experience this, which makes me very happy,” he says.
Did Yamaha provoke the end of the collaboration during the test?
“Yamaha did not have the plan to get me into MotoGP,” Razgatlioglu is certain. Together with manager Sofuoglu, he developed a strategy and made concrete demands regarding their future together in the Superbike World Championship.
Then there was a break with Yamaha. “They didn’t want the new contract and so we started talks with BMW. I signed with BMW and am now very happy. It was a new challenge for me and I am more motivated than before,” reports Razgatlioglu.
The risky switch from Yamaha to BMW paid off for Razgatlioglu. Razgatlioglu finished in the top 3 at the very first WSBK event with the BMW M1000RR, followed by the first BMW victory at the second race weekend of the current season in Barcelona. Razgatlioglu is currently the first pursuer of defending champion Alvaro Bautista (Ducati)
