MotoGP rookie Razgatlioglu likened to world champion Casey Stoner

New Pramac Yamaha signing Toprak Razgatlioglu has been likened to MotoGP star Casey Stoner by veteran manager Alberto Vergani.

Razgatlioglu is set to be one of the main talking points of the 2026 MotoGP season. The Turkish star arrives in the premier class as a three-time World Superbike champion, and there is widespread curiosity about how he will adapt to MotoGP machinery.

With Marc Marquez due to return from injury and the paddock already looking ahead to a potentially explosive 2027 rider market, with most contracts expiring ahead of a new technical era, Razgatlioglu’s performances will be closely monitored.

Signed by Pramac to partner Jack Miller on Yamaha’s new V4-powered MotoGP bike, the 29-year-old arrives as a proven star. His three WorldSBK titles, achieved with Yamaha and BMW, underline his status as one of those ‘special’ riders who possess something extra. He combines that rare talent with a spectacular riding style, as well as the charisma and star aura that could quickly make him one of the championship’s headline names if results follow.

Anticipation is high for the MotoGP debut of Kenan Sofuoglu’s protege, and some figures in the paddock are already comparing him to past greats of the premier class. Among them is Italian Vergani, one of the most respected rider managers in the paddock in recent years. 

A long-time WSBK insider, having managed Danilo Petrucci’s career, Vergani has also worked closely with riders such as Stoner, Marco Melandri and Carlos Checa. And for Vergani, Razgatlioglu can be described as a modern-day Stoner, who won the MotoGP title in 2007 and 2011. 

Casey Stoner

Photo by: Robert Cianflone / Getty Images

“For others, Toprak Razgatlioglu could be a headache at Yamaha,” he told Autosport's sister title GPOne. “He’s a champion, a crazy talent, and the results speak for themselves: he has won three World Superbike titles with two different manufacturers. I had the chance to speak with him in Valencia at the end of the 2025 season and during the test, and it was incredible.

“He’s aware of what awaits him, of the difficulties he’ll face and how to deal with them, given his riding ability. As Marco Melandri also says, Toprak has a monstrous talent that nature gave him. And there’s something I’d like to say that links Toprak to another rider.

“Casey Stoner once told me: when you have a bike, think only about that bike and how to ride it as well as possible, because the moment you look at another one, you lose energy and you’ve already lost. 

“That’s where Toprak comes in. In Valencia he told me: 'This year [in WSBK 2025] I had problems because of the chassis. But once I stopped complaining and focused on riding and on what I could do with the BMW, I solved my problems.'

“Hearing him say those words reminded me of Casey. For me, Razgatlioglu is a 'Stoner 2.0' – the revenge. 2026 will be a season of discovery for him, because the bike, the tyres and the circuits will all be new.

“But I believe in his talent, and I’m convinced he will show everyone what he is capable of, even with a Yamaha that is not yet at the level of the competition.”

Razgatlioglu sampled the V4-powered M1 for the first time at a private test in Aragon in November, before joining the entire MotoGP field later that month at the Valencia test.