Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

Razgatlıoğlu is the second son of Arif Razgatlıoğlu, a Turkish stunt motorcyclist known as "Tek Teker Arif" ("Wheelie Arif"). His father, together with a passenger riding pillion, died following a motorcycle accident in Antalya on 17 November 2017. His father used to call him "Tek Teker Toprak," a nickname he disliked, stating that he was a racer, not a stunt rider. His father also ran a shop with Atari games with a straight area at the back where he practiced stunts as a child.

Razgatlıoğlu competed in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2013 and 2014, finishing tenth and sixth overall respectively. He won the seventh race of the 2014 season at Sachsenring, Germany. Also in 2014, he won his debut race in the European Superstock 600 Championship on 5 October at Magny-Cours aboard a Kawasaki ZX-6R. He went on to win the 2015 European Superstock 600 Championship, again riding a Kawasaki ZX-6R.

Razgatlıoğlu joined the Turkish Puccetti Kawasaki racing team from 2018. In 2019, he partnered with factory Kawasaki riders Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam for the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race. A dispute over riding arrangements during the race led him to leave Kawasaki and join Yamaha as a factory rider from 2020.

He became World Champion in 2021 after finishing second in Race 1 at the Mandalika International Street Circuit, ending Jonathan Rea's six-year reign as champion.

Under contract to Yamaha until 30 November 2023, Razgatlıoğlu was prevented from testing his 2024 BMW machine at an official test held immediately after the 2023 season-end race at Jerez, while Jonathan Rea — his direct replacement at Yamaha — was permitted to test his new Yamaha. Razgatlıoğlu was offered a test on 22/23 November with gagging conditions attached, but chose to wait until 4 December when his contract expired. He then rode the BMW over two days at Portimão, followed by another test at Jerez.

BMW signed Razgatlıoğlu on a two-year deal for 2024. He won his first race with BMW at Race 1 in Catalunya, which was BMW's first win since 2013 and his 40th career victory overall. He then won the Superpole race by overtaking Álvaro Bautista at the final corner of the last lap. He scored his first hat trick — winning all three races in a weekend — at Misano, followed by further consecutive hat tricks at Donington, Most, and Portimão.

During free practice at Magny-Cours, Razgatlıoğlu crashed heavily and was diagnosed with pneumothorax; the session was red-flagged and he was declared unfit to race. Following his hat trick at Portimão, Razgatlıoğlu broke the record for most consecutive wins in a season with 13. He celebrated by imitating a viral pose struck by Olympic silver medalist shooter Yusuf Dikeç.

In June 2022, Razgatlıoğlu tested a Yamaha YZR-M1 during a private one-day test at the Motorland Aragón circuit, completing forty laps. No empirical data was made public, attributed to the test's confidential nature. He was accompanied by Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow during the test.

In April 2023, Yamaha announced that Razgatlıoğlu would ride the YZR-M1 during development tests at the Jerez circuit in Andalucía, again alongside Cal Crutchlow over two days on 10 and 11 April. This was his second test on the YZR-M1 following the 2022 Aragón session.

On 10 June 2025, Yamaha announced that Razgatlıoğlu would move from World Superbikes to MotoGP in 2026, riding for the Prima Pramac Racing Team alongside MotoGP veteran Jack Miller. He became the first Turkish MotoGP rider in history. He is the first WorldSBK rider since Loris Baz to switch to MotoGP and the first WSBK champion since Ben Spies to make the transition.

On 10 October 2025, Razgatlıoğlu received his 2021 WorldSBK championship-winning bike from Yamaha after signing his MotoGP contract.

Nicknamed "El Turco," Razgatlıoğlu is managed by former multiple-time WSSP champion Kenan Sofuoğlu. He resides in Sakarya. He is well known for his "stoppie" celebration and is described as a Superbike equivalent to Marc Márquez.

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