Yamaha’s official social media channels lit up several days ago to inform the world that there was to be another rider swinging their leg over an M1. Turkish superstar and WSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu will be testing a Yamaha MotoGP machine at an upcoming test in Jerez alongside Cal Crutchlow. It will be the second time the man affectionately known as ‘Stoprak’ has ridden a MotoGP bike, and comes at a very interesting pinch point for the open rider market.
Here’s a bit of context. For quite some time now, factory MotoGP contracts have operated on a two-year cycle, meaning that positions will only become available on alternating years. This allows for stability and security within the teams, and gives the riders the opportunity to learn their bike and grow stronger over a longer stretch. Without the constant pressure to perform in order to maintain their positions, factory riders are able to build on themselves and work towards fighting for world championships rather than fighting for survival.
Nine of the ten current factory seats are taken for 2024 as part of this cycle. The tenth is the second ride within the Yamaha team alongside Fabio Quartararo, which has been out of sync with the rest of the paddock ever since Maverick Vinales had his almighty fallout with the factory squad. Franco Morbidelli was shuffled into that spot following a return from injury with the hope that he would slot in nicely and be a competitor to Quartararo as the factory sought to return to consistent success.
That decision hasn’t played out particularly well for them. I truly dislike badmouthing the riders of the MotoGP grid from the very comfortable position of my couch, but Morbidelli has been nothing short of disappointing since joining the factory line-up. The Italian has failed to take a podium in a year and a half’s races and finished the 2022 season in his lowest championship position since entering the class. While his teammate was fighting for the title, Franco was languishing at the back of the field, unable to tame the beast underneath him.
And that brings us to now, with a lone factory seat up for grabs at the end of the season and the rider currently occupying it struggling to make a case for himself. The Argentine weekend was kind to Franky, with low grip conditions allowing him to showcase some of the raw talent we all know he possesses, but it doesn’t forgive the past eighteen months in their entirety. Yamaha are clearly looking at their options for 2024 and beyond – and one such option would be Toprak.
The Turk has a lot of things going for him. He’s a Yamaha rider in the Superbikes class, and won them their first world title in over a decade in the process. He’s also young, at just 26 years of age, and has plenty of racing left in his career. He would bring a sizeable fanbase with him as the only Turkish rider in the class, something that Dorna are always pleased to accommodate. Plus, he is both a proven champion and someone that has made very clear his intentions to someday be a MotoGP rider if given the opportunity.
So it’s a simple equation, then – either Franco improves enough to warrant a contract extension, or Toprak swings in and steals the ride from underneath him?
Not exactly. I mentioned that the factory rides for 2024 are almost entirely dried up, but that only accounts for a smidge under half the current grid. Of the twelve satellite seats on the grid, only four of them are currently locked in – the Aprilias of Raul Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira, the Honda of Alex Rins and the KTM (or GasGas) of Pol Espargaro. That leaves eight riders who are all theoretically free game for ’24 and beyond, and all of them will have a fairly significant advantage over Toprak – that of experience on a MotoGP bike.
It cannot be understated just how different riding a MotoGP machine is compared to any other racing bike on the planet. The bikes are massive, and deliver power in a rather unique way thanks to the combination of modern-day electronics and the aero fairings cropping up all over the sides and rear. The sheer evolution these bikes have undergone in recent seasons is almost unbelievable, and the people who know that best are those who have been riding the bikes throughout. Experience is king in a class like this, and Toprak’s two tests pales in comparison to the other possibilities on the market.
His most obvious competitor would be Jorge Martin. The Spaniard has been vocal about his dissatisfaction over being snubbed for the factory Ducati ride alongside Bagnaia this year, a role he was groomed for since he entered the class, and is assuredly playing the field right now to assess his options moving forward. He’s young, fully fit, and knows how to win a MotoGP race and a grand prix world championship – two things that Toprak cannot currently lay claim to.
There’s an argument that Martin’s potential movement opens up more opportunities to Toprak, but I’m not certain the path is as clear as people are making it out to be. Yes, Martin leaving the second-best Ducati team on the grid would trigger some movements within the Italian brand, but I fear it would most likely be an internal reshuffle rather than an opportunity for someone to sneak in from outside Ducati, let alone outside the class itself. If Martin leaves, why not replace him with Bezzechi given his performances this year? What of Alex Marquez, as he continues to grow and develop? If either of them leave a seat on a year-old bike, is that even something Toprak would be interested in?
The overarching problem here is the sheer amount of talent currently at play in MotoGP. From an analytical standpoint, this is far and away the most competitive grid the class has ever seen, with every rider having proven themselves in either the premier class or the crucible of the junior categories. These are world champions and race winners alike, each and every one of them capable of performing when given the tools and the time, and Toprak is an unknown who has only ridden a MotoGP bike once – twice by the time this test is over.
Still, there’s no denying the Turk is a mouth-watering prospect, and someone who would benefit greatly from an opportunity like this. If there somehow ends up being room at the inn for him – wonderful! We should be in for an absolute treat. But as we watch him testing in Jerez this week, just remember that the path to a seat in MotoGP is a tricky one at present, and despite Toprak’s best intentions it may not be a given, or even a possibility, that he joins the class in the future. As always, time will tell.
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