YAMAHA MAY TAILOR TOPRAK’S 2027 BIKE TO HIS RIDING STYLE

Yamaha may be able to reshape Toprak Razgatlioglu’s MotoGP riding position for 2027, giving the three-time World Superbike champion a setup closer to the one he used to excel in that series, according to former racer and pundit Neil Hodgson.

Razgatlioglu joined Pramac Yamaha on a two-year factory contract in 2026, but his rookie season has been hampered by the new V4 YZR-M1’s shortcomings and the challenge of adapting to MotoGP’s Michelin tyres. He has also struggled to use his trademark braking strength on the bike. The move was made with 2027 in mind, when MotoGP introduces 850cc engines, tighter aerodynamic rules, the removal of ride-height devices and a switch to Pirelli tyres.

Hodgson said the Yamaha’s rear-seat aerodynamics had prevented the team from making changes Razgatlioglu wanted. In WorldSBK, the Turkish rider had asked for a seat more than an inch lower and angled upwards, helping him position his body to make the most of braking and slide the bike. Hodgson said that posture could affect how well a motorcycle turns, but had allowed Razgatlioglu to compensate in the braking zones.

“[There is] a thought, and it’s not decided yet, that it still might be something they can do for next year to give him essentially a completely unique MotoGP riding position,” Hodgson said on TNT Sports. He described the aim as emulating Razgatlioglu’s WorldSBK position and added: “If he can get that riding position, and if obviously with the tyres, he’ll be back.”

Pirelli alone may not solve the adaptation challenge. Razgatlioglu has said the seating position was the biggest difference he noticed when first testing the M1, and Hodgson’s comments suggest the 2027 regulations could give Yamaha more scope to alter the bike around him.

Former MotoGP rider Michael Laverty, however, is concerned that Yamaha is currently asking Razgatlioglu to adapt to its machine rather than tailoring it to his strengths. Laverty said the rider still shows his instincts in races, finding ways to move forward, but does not appear able to deploy his full braking ability or ride as naturally as he did in WorldSBK.

“I feel for him,” Laverty said. “When I watch him, he’s not able to ride like Toprak can ride. He can’t use his braking prowess, his superior skills in that area.” He added that the riding position remained a concern and that Pirelli might help in 2027.

Laverty said he had heard Yamaha test rider Andrea Dovizioso’s comments as indicating that the team expects Razgatlioglu to change his approach. “Sometimes a genius like Toprak needs a bike built to his strengths,” he said. “Maybe that will happen, but right now it doesn’t seem to be the case.”

The tyre change is significant for a rider who took 73 WorldSBK victories and three titles during his final five seasons in the championship on Pirellis. Yet the potential seat modification remains under consideration, not confirmed, leaving Yamaha’s ability to give Razgatlioglu a more familiar platform an open question ahead of MotoGP’s new technical era.