Yamaha MotoGP boss clarifies Toprak Razgatlioglu "fixed" contract length

Toprak Razgatlioglu’s Yamaha MotoGP contract is for two years, not one, Yamaha racing boss Paolo Pavesio has confirmed.

The information from Yamaha, when the announcement of Razgatlioglu’s signature with the Pramac Yamaha team for next year's MotoGP campaign was made, only referenced 2026, but not 2027.

Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Pavesio, though, has now confirmed that Razgatlioglu’s deal is “fixed” at two years and will therefore cover both 2026 and 2027.

“To make it super-clear, it’s a two-year fixed deal,” Pavesio said at Mugello where he appeared on MotoGP.com’s Gear Up preview show.

Pavesio, who worked with Toprak Razgatlioglu when the Turkish rider won the 2021 World Superbike Championship with Yamaha, added that the post-season Valencia test in November is likely to be the first chance to Razgatlioglu will have to test the YZR-M1 since signing his deal for 2026 and 2027.

“I would say Valencia Test is the realistic target,” he said.

“I have also to say that the relation with BMW in this transition has been really professional.

“So, Valencia for sure; if we have the possibility to do it before [...] we will try to make it happen for sure.”

One aspect of Razgatlioglu’s long-running flirtation with a move to MotoGP has been his tests with Yamaha in 2022, reports from which had been perceived negatively.

Pavesio said that Razgatlioglu’s struggles in those tests were about timing.

“I’ve heard a lot about this test,” he said.

“First of all, Toprak [Razgatlioglu] did two tests with us: the first was just a gift after the world title; the second was more to understand each other, for us to understand Toprak on MotoGP, for Toprak to understand himself in a bit more of a structured approach. It was a two-day test.

“I’d really like to say that, most probably, it was not the right moment.

“I don’t think he was as motivated as he is now to do the move.

“For sure, we were not ready as we are now in terms of overall operations, package, performance, and this is something everybody can see.

“It’s not a secret that that was a particularly not easy moment for us. We are still on a journey, we have not done anything yet, but we are on the way back and it’s for sure a better moment and for sure it’s maybe the good moment to do it now.”

The move for Razgatlioglu can be seen as a loss for WorldSBK, since the Turkish rider has captured a sizeable following for his style both on and off the track, both of which the productions derivative series will be deprived of from 2026.

But Pavesio thinks there is a positive aspect for WorldSBK to it losing its main star.

“I think it’s a good move, overall, for the [MotoGP] paddock because he’s [Razgatlioglu] a rider that many fans wanted to see in MotoGP,” Pavesio said.

“We’re happy because he’s really motivated to do this, we are happy because we could provide him this opportunity after having tried once already.

“This is good I think also for Superbike because it’s proving that Superbike can be a way to arrive to the top as well.”