Double World Superbike champion Toprak Razgatlioglu is closing on a switch to MotoGP for 2026.
A deal with Yamaha satellite team Pramac had been reported by Speedweek.com - and hinted at publicly by Razgatlioglu's manager, five-time World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu.
The Race understands, from conversations with sources in the MotoGP paddock, that the deal is indeed close to fruition - with new Yamaha Racing boss Paolo Pavesio believed to have done much of the legwork in facilitating Razgatlioglu's return to the manufacturer with which he'd won his first WSBK title.
There had previously been constant speculation for years suggesting that a move to MotoGP was imminent for Razgatlioglu, yet Sofuoglu's lond-held insistence that only a factory ride would be acceptable for his racer meant it never quite materialised.
Yet, both with Razgatlioglu’s speed in WSBK and his natural flair for showmanship (something that stems in part from his background as a stunt rider), there’s been an obvious desire from Dorna (overseeing both series) to facilitate a move across to the premier class.
Razgatlioglu previously tested a Yamaha M1 machine at Aragon and Jerez in 2023. The Aragon test was effectively a write-off due to weather, but Jerez left both sides of the partnership disappointed with his lack of instant pace and difficulty getting comfortable on the vastly different MotoGP tyres.
But, with MotoGP switching from the current Michelins that are very unlikely to support Razgatlioglu’s riding style to Pirellis (Pirelli being the current World Superbike tyre supplier) for 2027, it seems that he’s decided that now is the time to make the switch in order to prepare for a big push the year after.
And, while Sofuoglu may have held out in the past for a factory ride, it’s believed that the 28 year-old Razgatlioglu’s age and the feeling that this may well be his final chance at a MotoGP ride has prompted them to instead park that demand in favour of a Yamaha contract that places him at factory-supported satellite team Pramac.
So far, much of the talk around the deal has suggested that he would replace Jack Miller, who is currently on a one-year deal with Pramac and who has been linked to a number of teams in World Superbikes, including on a big-money offer from Honda’s struggling project.
But, with Miller on good form at the minute in MotoGP and currently Yamaha’s second rider in the championship standings ahead of his Pramac team-mate Miguel Oliveria and factory racer Alex Rins, it has drawn consternation that the popular Australian could get the sack, something he acknowledged at this weekend’s Aragon Grand Prix.
“Just currently in this season doing what I can,” Miller explained when asked about the rumours by The Race. “That's all we can do. Wait and see where it all pans out at the end of it all.
“All I can do is keep doing what I'm doing and that's about it. I'm in better spirits this year than I was last year, because I'm competitive, I'm showing people that I'm not f***ing useless or I've lost how to ride a motorbike.
“I know what I can do. I'm in a better headspace definitely than I was last year and enjoying riding my bike.”
Some of the reason for that optimism might, according to The Race’s sources in the paddock, come from a clause in team-mate Oliveira’s contract that may allow Yamaha a way to instead park the Portuguese racer - who has spent a considerable amount of 2025 injured.
Supposedly, his two-year deal directly with Yamaha allows the Japanese factory to replace Oliveira should he be the worst-performing of its four racers at a certain point of the season, although when exactly that cut-off point is on the MotoGP calendar remains uncertain.
Oliveira currently sits 23rd overall in the MotoGP standings with only two points, largely due to the injury inflicted upon him by rookie Fermin Aldeguer at the Argentine GP. The next of Yamaha’s regular cohort, Alex Rins, has 26 points.
8 Fabio Quartararo - 59
16 Jack Miller - 29
17 Alex Rins - 26
22 Augusto Fernandez (test and replacement rider) - 3
23 Miguel Oliveira - 2
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