It's been far too long since we've had a good Toprak Razgatlioglu—MotoGP rumor. Thankfully, Paddock-GP is on the ball and reporting some fresh gossip. The latest news is that 'El Turck' could be racing MotoGP machinery as early as this year.
The rumor is that the two-time World Superbike (WSBK) champion has signed to ride with Honda in the premier class. It's no secret that Razgatlioglu has had his eyes on competing in MotoGP for some time, and he's had a few notable rumors surrounding him making the jump from WSBK.
Firstly, he had what appeared to be an unofficial Yamaha test, after which he felt hard done by, as the bike wasn't set up correctly for him. His lap times aboard the YZR-M1 didn't paint him in the best light, but this could well have been down to bike setup, and Razgatlioglu unsurprisingly left Yamaha's WSBK factory team for BMW the following season.
After winning the WSBK championship with BMW in 2024 and rumors about the Bavarian manufacturer joining MotoGP when the new ruleset comes into play in 2027, it looked like Razgatlioglu had another decent chance of throwing his leg over a MotoGP bike once more—until those rumors dried up.
So, hearing that Razgatlioglu is still chomping at the bit to get a ride with a MotoGP team isn't surprising, but to think he could be on one before the season is over is. Rumor has it that, once the WSBK season is over, Razgatlioglu could ride for Honda as a wild card before joining the team full-time in 2026. If only the situation was that clear-cut.
Razgatlioglu is contracted to BMW until December 25th, 2025, so both parties would have to agree to break the contract to let him ride as a wild card for Honda this year. And if he joins as a full-time rider in 2026, then who would he replace?
He could take Johann Zarco's spot at LCR Honda, which would make sense, considering Zarco is the oldest current MotoGP rider. But Zarco is the only one bringing Honda any results of note so far this season. Or, in a more shocking turn of events, Razgatlioglu could replace Luca Marini on the Honda HRC Castrol team after an abysmal 2024 season for Marini. Regardless of who he replaces, adding Razgatlioglu to the MotoGP grid will make waves.
I reached out to a Honda representative regarding the situation, and he responded by saying that the Japanese manufacturer "did not have any comments since it's just a rumor." What do you make of the whole thing? Let us know in the comments.
