Toprak Razgatlioglu: “Everybody asks why I don’t got to MotoGP, it’s not easy”

2021 WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu says manager, Kenan Sofuoglu, is ‘looking and working’ to secure his future and that ‘we have options’.

Robert Jones

05 May 2023

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Yamaha World Superbike Assen 2023

Razgatlioglu, who is second in the WorldSBK standings behind Alvaro Bautista, is the only rider other than the Ducati star to win a race so far this season.

But as was the case towards the end of last season, Razgatlioglu is already trailing the Spaniard by a significant margin as Yamaha have struggled to give the Turkish star a bike quite capable of fighting Bautista.

The R1 has its strengths, but so does the Ducati which have been a little more evident over the last year or so. However, Bautista has been the key ingredient to the Italian manufacturer’s success.

With Bautista confirming he will stay in WorldSBK next season, Razgatlioglu appears to have one less option, although plenty of teams and manufacturers will be key to sign him including his current Pata Yamaha team.

But with that said, Razgatlioglu has made it known that his desire remains MotoGP, while confirming ahead of the Catalan round this weekend that manager Kenan Sofuoglu is already trying to secure his future.

"It wasn’t an easy round for us [in Assen] where we tried to fight for the wins, but it wasn’t possible," began Razgatlioglu when talking about the on-track side of things. "Alvaro was very strong. We come to the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit; I’ll just try and do my best again this weekend."

Regarding his future, Razgatlioglu added: "This is not my job; I am just looking at my job and trying to ride my bike very well. Kenan’s looking and working for next year.

"Now, I am focused on my job this weekend and this year. We will see, we have options, but everybody asks why I don’t go to MotoGP. It’s not easy.

"We need to understand. It’s not possible to say now yes or no. This year is important for me because it’s possible we’re fighting for the Championship and the gap is not far."

Whether it’s WorldSBK or MotoGP, Razgatlioglu’s most likely option remains staying with Yamaha, although BMW and Honda are said to have expressed interest.