World Superbike champion Toprak Razgatlioglu's long-anticipated move to MotoGP has been made official by Yamaha, which has given him a factory contract and a satellite ride at Pramac.
The breakout star of the current WSBK era, Razgatlioglu won a world title for Yamaha in 2021 but left the manufacturer two years later, enticed by a reportedly big-money offer from BMW - while also irked by Yamaha's lack of enthusiasm for arranging a MotoGP move for him following a complicated private test at Jerez.
His signing proved immediately transformative to BMW's WSBK fortunes with a title in his first season in 2024.
But that instant success put Razgatlioglu - who, along with manager Kenan Sofuoglu, had long flirted with the idea of a switch to grand prix racing - on the MotoGP radar again.
And now Yamaha has made the move a reality, confirming Razgatlioglu as a 2026 Pramac rider. It has announced no further details about the deal, but Razgatlioglu will have logically signed on a multi-year deal that should cover both the end of the current regulations cycle and the start of the new one in 2027.
"We are thrilled to welcome Toprak back into the Yamaha family," said Yamaha MotoGP boss Paolo Pavesio, who knows Razgatlioglu well from WSBK and is thought to have been instrumental in the move.
"His transition to MotoGP is both a 'homecoming' and an exciting new challenge that's been set up with the clear goal of progressive growth over time.
"We believe 2026 is the right time to make the move that many fans have been waiting for."
Razgatlioglu was thought to have had some reservations about making the move in 2026, given it's MotoGP's final season with MotoGP as its sole tyre supplier - and the adaptation to Michelins from the WSBK Pirellis, which Razgatlioglu has exploited masterfully particularly with his famous hard-braking style, has been the biggest question mark in whether he could reach the same heights in MotoGP.
But Pirelli is taking over the MotoGP supply from Michelin in 2027 - this coming in addition to the change to 850cc engines, the reduction on aero and the ban on ride height devices.
So while Razgatlioglu's potential will likely be capped in '26, the move will have come with an eye on maximising his preparation - in terms of embedding into the MotoGP structure and development testing - to be a key player in MotoGP's next tech era.
Though expected for a while, it will come as a blow to BMW, which has been very Razgatlioglu-reliant in securing WSBK results since signing the Turk.
BMW has also been floated as a potential MotoGP entrant for 2027, but talk of that has gone gradually quiet - and Razgatlioglu's defection to Yamaha could be taken as another indication no premier-class programme is forthcoming from BMW.
Who makes way?
The announcement of Razgatlioglu for 2026 means one of Pramac's two current riders - Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira - will need to find alternative employment.
Nominally this would be Miller, who had signed on a one-year deal - so is a known free agent at the end of the season - versus what was announced as a two-year deal for Oliveira.
Yet Miller has generally impressed on the M1 and has outperformed Oliveira from early on - with Oliveira's chances of turning the tide in that battle badly damaged when an injury in round two of the season forced a multi-round absence.
The Race's sources have indicated Oliveira's current championship position leaves him vulnerable to a reported clause in his contract that would allow Yamaha to sideline him for 2026. Oliveira himself seemed to acknowledge as much during the latest MotoGP round at Aragon.
For now, Yamaha has only said that "further details regarding the 2026 line-up of the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team will be communicated in due course".
