Toprak’s childhood memories – how old he was when he did his first stoppie

There wasn’t much to be had for Toprak Razgatlioglu at Silverstone either. The Pramac Yamaha rider finished 20th and 14th in the races – but at least he managed to take two World Championship points home from the British Isles. Toprak is still struggling with the transition from Superbike to the MotoGP machine. On top of that, the Yamaha M1 remains the weakest bike on the grid.

There are just under three weeks between the British Grand Prix and the next race weekend in Aragon – enough time to take a break from the daily grind of MotoGP and prepare for the final ten MotoGP events of the 2026 season. Toprak recently posted video clips on social media of training sessions in the gym. His mate and Moto2 rider Deniz Öncü was there with him again.

Toprak beim Krafttraining

Foto: Toprak Razgatlioglu

Our colleagues at motogp.com shared a different kind of diversion this week. They asked Toprak a few questions about his childhood and his early days on two wheels. They wanted to know from the Superbike World Champion how old he was when he did his first wheelie. “I think I was eight years old. Me, on a Yamaha PW50,” smiled the Turkish rider. The bike in question is a 50cc motocross bike for children. Many young racers get their first taste of motorcycling on one of these.

Toprak’s first race

In the interview, the MotoGP rookie was also asked when and where he’d ridden his first race. “It was in Izmir, Turkey – on a 600cc motorbike. I was eleven years old at the time.” And when did the ‘stopper’ king pull off his first ‘save’? “I’ve had plenty of them. But I can’t remember the first one. Maybe it was in Turkey on a Supermoto bike.”

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Thanks to his spectacular riding style, his successes in the Superbike World Championship and his sense of humour, Toprak is hugely popular with fans both in his native Turkey and around the world. No doubt he’s got a catchy nickname too. What was his first one? “El Turco – just like it is now,” was Toprak’s clear reply.