Toprak Razgatlioglu wraps up private Jerez MotoGP test
Toprak Razgatlioglu gets extra MotoGP track time ahead of next weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
Pramac MotoGP rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu joined test riders from Yamaha, KTM, Aprilia and Ducati at this week’s private Jerez test.
The reigning WorldSBK champion took advantage of Yamaha’s concession status, which allows private testing with race riders.
Yamaha does not comment on private tests, but a social media post by Razgatlioglu thanking the team showed a V4 with Michelin tyres.
The Jerez outing was billed as featuring both Michelin and Pirelli rubber, raising the prospect that some factories may also conduct some 850cc development - most notably KTM, which tried its 2027 prototype at the track in December.
Razgatlioglu - who finished his first MotoGP weekend in 17th place at Buriram, but ahead of team-mate Jack Miller - will next be on an M1 during opening practice for the inaugural Goiania round in Brazil.
The 'new' venue, without any prior testing, means Razgatlioglu and fellow rookie Diogo Moreira will face less of a disadvantage relative to their more experienced MotoGP rivals.
The original story previewing Razgatlioglu's Jerez test is below.
Toprak Razgatlioglu heads to Spain for ‘Michelin-Pirelli’ MotoGP test
Toprak Razgatlioglu will gain extra MotoGP mileage this week as Yamaha, KTM, Aprilia and Ducati gather at Jerez for a private test.
Interestingly, the outing is listed as featuring both Michelin and Pirelli rubber.
That opens the possibility of development work on both the current 1000cc MotoGP machines and future 850cc bikes.
Yamaha, KTM, Aprilia and Ducati are known to be attending, with test riders Andrea Dovizioso, Pol Espargaro, Dani Pedrosa, Lorenzo Savadori and Michele Pirro confirming their presence at the Spanish Grand Prix venue on social media:
A video from Savadori, who appears to have started testing earlier this week, showed a long, slender exhaust on the RS-GP:
Ducati test rider Pirro says he is at Jerez, with a lot of work for the "present and future":
KTM became the first MotoGP factory to 'publicly' test an 850cc bike at Jerez in December, with Espargaro and Dani Pedrosa. Mika Kallio is then rumoured to have put more laps on the prototype at the Sepang shakedown.
Honda and Yamaha are also believed to have completed some initial 850cc running, behind closed doors, while Aprilia and Ducati are aiming for a 'spring' debut.
Update: Honda has released a video confirming Takaaki Nakagami gave the factory's 850cc prototype its debut at Sepang last December.
Meanwhile, Yamaha’s concession status also allows it to field full-time race riders during private tests, and Razgatlioglu is set to join the action after posting that he is travelling from Turkey to Spain:
The reigning WorldSBK champion finished 20th and 17th in the Thai season opener but set a pace comparable to the other struggling Yamaha V4 riders throughout the middle stages of the grand prix.
Razgatlioglu’s presence also means there is a chance that the Turkish star could make his MotoGP debut with Pirelli tyres, the brand he achieved so much success with in WorldSBK.
It remains unclear whether Pramac team-mate Jack Miller or factory Yamaha riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins will attend.
Likewise, there are no signs yet that the Honda test team will be present.
Round two of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship takes place at Goiania, Brazil, from 20-22 March.
The next European private test is not planned until after round four in Qatar, although the Middle Eastern event is now in major doubt.
Jerez, meanwhile, is scheduled to host the opening European race weekend of the year, from 24-26 April.
In this article
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
