Toprak Razgatlioglu’s perfect sweep of victories at Misano on Sunday made him the first BMW rider to lead the WorldSBK standings since 2012.
But might it also fast-track his MotoGP ambitions?
Earlier this year, Razgatlioglu revealed: “If I win the Superbike title, I could race in MotoGP in 2026 and I don’t rule that out."
BMW is rumoured to be seriously considering a MotoGP entry when the technical rules change to 850cc engines in 2027 and Razgatlioglu moving with them would be a dream scenario.
But given Razgatlioglu’s current form, Crash.net MotoGP podcast host Jordan Moreland asked if the Turkish star, who tested a Yamaha M1 with mixed results last year, might want to make a switch before then.
“What he did at the weekend, on Ducati’s home turf, was truly special - the dominance he had and the way he's adapted to the BMW this year,” said Superbike reporter Robert Jones.
“Yes, I think BMW has finally made those steps to become one of the top bikes. But the other BMW riders still can't get close to what Toprak is doing.
“Toprak has alluded to the fact that maybe he’s got an option in his contract to go to MotoGP [early] and if someone approaches him, he'll listen.
"But I think given what he's doing now with BMW, he could have another three world championships and then move with BMW to MotoGP in 2027.
“Obviously, age [27] always comes into it as far as MotoGP. But we know he's got the talent. I think staying where he is right now and then hopefully moving to MotoGP with BMW, with a team he knows well, would be the perfect situation for both parties.”
MotoGP editor Pete McLaren added: “For me, there are echoes of Rossi's first year at Yamaha, someone getting on a bike that's not the best and immediately being competitive on it.
“It'd be a great shame if he didn't go to MotoGP. Rob’s explained the BMW link, but if he did win the title for BMW this year and suddenly decided to go straight to MotoGP, where might he go?
“Jorge Martin’s title-leading Pramac Ducati seat is currently free but probably not for much longer and Kenan Sofuoglu has made clear Toprak would need a factory MotoGP seat anyway.
“So then you look at teams like Repsol Honda... From Honda’s point of view, if you had any chance of getting Toprak you’d surely snap him up!
“Toprak's not only got the talent, he’s shown he’s got the skill and the motivation to make an underperforming bike work. And he's not afraid to take on a difficult project, especially if he comes with his excellent crew chief Phil Marron.
“If you're Honda, he'd be the dream guy I think, if Mir leaves. Someone who will come in hungry and look at it almost like a blank sheet of paper.
“They’ve already got Luca Marini who is the experienced, analytical guy, who can give feedback to the engineers about what the Honda is doing differently compared to the Ducati etc. So why not have another guy who's just going to ride the wheels off it?
“As Rob says, waiting and moving across with BMW in the future would probably be best. But if Toprak wins the Superbike championship for them straight away, to add to his 2021 Yamaha title, does he need to try and win it again and again or should he go to MotoGP ‘early’?
“It’s an interesting question… Marini's contract expires at the end of 2025, so even if Toprak stays in WorldSBK next year, Honda might be the only factory MotoGP team with a seat free for 2026."
“From Honda’s perspective why not?” Jones added. “And if Toprak went to Honda, I think having no previous MotoGP experience could work to his advantage. It's not like he's coming from a great MotoGP bike to the worst bike on the grid.
“But if BMW did want to link up with Toprak again for a MotoGP project in 2027, a competitive satellite ride at somewhere like Pramac might be a good option for a year or two. You’d just need to convince Kenan!”
“For me, Honda would be a risk for next year,” Moreland said. “You’re at the front of WorldSBK now. You're the face of BMW. You're winning. Then you get handed the Honda, you're not getting really any TV time, you're having to really push yourself physically because we know the Honda is an absolute beast to ride. It wants to throw you off at every opportunity. It's a real risk for me.
“I also think he likes the environment in WorldSBK. It’s more chilled out, and the calendar is smaller, with bigger gaps in between where he gets to go home and do all sorts of fun stuff as we see on Instagram.
"So I’d like to see him stay a few more years in World Superbike.”
McLaren added: “One other thing perhaps worth mentioning is that because Honda now has concessions, they could offer lots of private testing to adapt to a MotoGP bike, which the European brands currently cannot.
"So that could help Toprak if he wanted to come across before 2027, but it’s all ‘ifs and buts’ at the moment.”
Moreland concluded: “We can all agree that Toprak is an absolute hero in World Superbike. He’s box office. I think BMW has struck gold and let’s see if they’ll be in MotoGP together in future.”
