Razgatlioglu ahead of the race on his favourite Misano circuit: “Focus on qualifying”

The preview of the 2026 San Marino Grand Prix began with a wistful look back for Yamaha MotoGP rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu: “The last time I had breakfast in Misano, I’d just secured three race wins in a row,” said last year’s Superbike champion. It is not just his successes at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli that have given Razgatlioglu fresh motivation for his 14th attempt to make a splash in MotoGP.

“I really like the track. Every time I’ve raced at Misano, it’s been a pleasure – and that’s what I want now too. Even though the situation is so much tougher now. But at Aragon, after a weak start on Friday, we felt a big improvement in the races – and I really hope to have that feeling here too with the new set-up.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu mit zuletzt gutem Gefühl in Aragon

Foto: Gold and Goose

He’s also aiming to move further up the order with a change in focus. Toprak in Misano: “We’ll be concentrating much more heavily here on putting in a good performance in qualifying. I think if I manage to finish in 10th place here, then a lot would be possible. A result like that would be fantastic and would do us a world of good. As I said: I really like the track!”

Toprak on Bulega: A strong package and plenty of testing!

Another talking point at Misano is the official confirmation of Nicolo Bulega for the VR46 Racing MotoGP team in 2027. Toprak, who had already expressed his support on several occasions for his biggest rival’s move in 2025, applauded the decision. “It’s the right time for him; I’m also happy for him because he simply deserves it.”

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At the same time, ‘El Turco’ is aware that he is also talking about another formidable rival. “He’ll have a strong package – and, in my view, he has the huge advantage of already being involved in Pirelli’s tyre development for MotoGP. He’ll have completed ten or twelve races on it by then. Added to that is his riding style, and I also believe that the 850cc MotoGP machine is much closer to a Superbike. For him, it’s definitely a very good move at just the right time.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, on the other hand, continues to fight for respectable results on the 1000cc Yamaha M1. With 14 points, the newcomer is ranked 21st in the World Championship. At Balaton Park, a circuit also much loved by Toprak, rider number 07 achieved his best result to date with 11th place.