The question that could haunt Toprak Razgatlioglu: “A bit like Jonathan Rea…”

This year marks a decade since the beginning of Jonathan Rea’s dominance of the World Superbike Championship, and the series’ current standout rider, Toprak Razgatlioglu, faces the possibility of being left with the same unanswered question as the previous decade’s dominant force.

That, of course, regards MotoGP. When Rea was racking up a record 119 victories in WorldSBK during the mid-to-late-2010s, he was the primary candidate for a MotoGP switch from the production derivative series.

He would’ve followed the recently laid footsteps of the likes of Ben Spies and Cal Crutchlow in moving from production to prototype racing, but somehow it never happened.

A combination of age (Rea was 30 by the time he’d won his third title) and the absence of his Superbike manufacturer, Kawasaki, from the grand prix scene meant the Northern Irish rider could never find a way across to the MotoGP grid that could’ve given him a decent chance of fighting at the front.

Now, Razgatlioglu, who turns 29 in October, faces a similar situation: he’s approaching 30, and, like Kawasaki, BMW does not compete in MotoGP – even if it started next year or in 2027, it would be a while before it could compete against the likes of Ducati for race wins and titles.

Toprak Razgatlioglu set to do what Jonathan Rea did not do

Momentum does appear to be gathering behind a Pramac Yamaha move for Razgatlioglu, but were it to not happen, Razgatlioglu’s career would surely end with the question mark over the performance and results he could’ve achieved in motorcycle racing’s premier class.

“A bit like Jonathan Rea,” TNT Sports MotoGP expert Hodgson said on the prospect of Razgatlioglu ending his career having not moved to MotoGP when speaking to Crash.net on Friday at the British Grand Prix.

“Jonathan, in his prime, was such a special talent – in his absolute prime. Obviously, he won six world titles.

“I think if Jonathan had come here in the middle of that, he would’ve been around Cal Crutchlow’s speed – so would’ve won races, would’ve been on loads of podiums.

“Then the argument is: what would he rather have done? Would he rather have been an absolute legend in World Superbike, or come and [been a podium contending rider in MotoGP] – because I don’t think he’d have beaten Marc [Marquez] in his prime.

“It’s difficult to know what’s the right answer. He’s got obviously a load of money in the bank, and six world titles – he’s doing quite well.”

If Razgatlioglu were to go to MotoGP, Hodgson is at least sure that his talent would be enough to bring him to competitiveness.

“I’d love to see him [Razgatlioglu] come in, I’m such a fan,” Hodgson said.

“I watched all the Superbike races [at Most] and you look at Toprak [Razgatlioglu] winning and then you look where Michael van der Mark is – who I’m a massive fan of, van der Mark is not slow at all and fully committed; I promise you, van der Mark’s not being lazy, he’s not just riding around, he’s giving it everything, and he’s pretty much a second-a-lap slower than his teammate. It’s crazy.

“Whatever it takes, I’d just love to see him in the paddock.”

Although Razgatlioglu is currently trailing Ducati’s Nicolo Bulega in the 2025 WorldSBK standings, Hodgson’s fellow TNT Sports MotoGP expert Michael Laverty agreed with Hodgson that, as Rea was 10 years ago, it is Razgatlioglu now who is the standout rider in World Superbike.

“I’m a fan of Bulega but I’m not as annoyed if he doesn’t get that opportunity [to go to MotoGP],” Laverty said.

“He will get to try it because Ducati will give him an opportunity.

“I think Bulega is an impressive talent on that bike, with that package.

“You can’t really compare him and Toprak [Razgatlioglu] right now. Toprak is the standout rider in World Superbike.”

TNT Sports and discovery+ is the home of MotoGP in the UK, showing every practice and race exclusively live. Find out more here.