The news is out that Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) will leave the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and head to MotoGP with Prima Pramac Racing, with the Yamaha M1, in 2026. With that in mind, it’s time to take a trip down memory lane and look at some of the two-time Champion’s most memorable moments in WorldSBK, from his maiden podium and win to his title-winning moments, fierce fights, best rivals and the history he made along the way.

THE BEST OF THE BEST: Razgatlioglu in control out in front…

While perhaps less memorable than last-lap fights or rivalries, Razgatlioglu was able to lead races from start to finish and pull out a huge gap over his rivals. He’s won seven races by more than five seconds, with half of those coming at Donington Park (Race 1, 2024 – 11.384s; Race 2, 2024 – 8.062s; Race 1, 2022 – 6.397s), while the Autodrom Most is another of his favourites – he won Race 1 there this year by 6.015s and Race 1 last year by 5.740s. Other wins by more than five seconds included Estoril Race 1, 2024 – won by 9.221s – and San Juan Race 1 in 2021, won by 5.295s. While it wasn’t a big winning margin, Race 1 at Donington Park in 2021 sticks in the mind for an Ayrton Senna-style start – the Turkish star went from 13^th on the grid to second at the end of Lap 1, before taking the lead on Lap 2 and claiming victory.

LAST LAP SHOWDOWNS: fighting for victory until the chequered flag

In contrast to dominating races, the BMW star was also involved in some epic last-lap showdowns. Race 1 in Australia in 2020 – his first race in Yamaha blue – was a four-rider fight that he came out on top in. When WorldSBK first visited Most in 2021, he beat Scott Redding, then riding for Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, in an epic final lap showdown – although the factory Ducati team got their revenge five years later when Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) returned the favour. Rewinding back to Barcelona in 2024, ‘El Turco’ pulled off a Valentino Rossi-style move at the final corner in the Tissot Superpole Race to deny Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) victory. Estoril in the same year was the closest WorldSBK finish ever – just 0.003s – as Bulega pipped Razgatlioglu on the line. And, of course, who could forget Portimao Race 2 and Jerez Race 2 from 2023; both of which featured more than 30 on-track passes for the lead between Bautista and Razgatlioglu.

THE RIVALRIES: several rivalries develop…

After making his debut in 2018, and as soon as he was fighting at the front, rivalries were formed. The Most fight with Redding started their rivalry, while the 2021 title fight with Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) – then at KRT – developed that into a rivalry with a lot of respect, with Rea helping to mentor Razgatlioglu when he first started in WorldSBK at the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing squad. Aiming to retain his title, ‘El Turco’ had to fight with Bautista in 2022 and 2023 as the Spaniard won his two Championships, before a new Ducati rider burst onto the scene and into the mix in 2024 and 2025: Bulega.

CELEBRATING IN STYLE: showing his personality in a unique way

One key aspect of Razgatlioglu’s personality has been his celebrations. He grew wings at Portimao in 2024, jumped into the Portimao pool and copied Turkish Olympic shooter Yusuf Dikec’s style – also at Portimao. He wasn’t afraid to poke fun at himself either – having the ‘police’ give him a ‘speeding ticket’ at Donington last year, while also having a dig at rivals after changing his seat position at the same round. And, of course, there was his celebration on the green at Portimao – a nod to how he lost a victory at Magny-Cours previously, although his rival on that occasion, Rea, responded the next day with a burnout on the same bit of track that Razgatlioglu had cleaned…

ENDEARING HIMSELF WITH THE FANS: how Razgatlioglu became a favourite all around the world

Razgatlioglu is a popular character with the fans and it’s little wonder why with some of the gestures. At Misano in 2023, in Race 1, he handed his third-place trophy to a child on the podium, something he’d done the round before in Barcelona too. Hundreds, if not thousands, of his fans would gather at Assen in recent years, almost giving it a ‘home round’ feel for the two-time Champion. And, of course, fans became supporters of him due to his traditional ‘Stoppie’ celebration – but sometimes, he'd pull them off during track action… or even go flying over the Portimao crest.

Perhaps the most emotional, and poignant, gesture was back in 2022 at Donington Park, when he dedicated his winner’s trophy to his Yamaha’s boss’s, Paul Denning, late father.

THE BEST FIRSTS: the maiden win from P16, the first title, making history…

Razgatlioglu’s presence in WorldSBK has been a historic one, from his first win right through to his two titles. That first win came at Magny-Cours from 16^th on the grid in Race 1, which he repeated in the Tissot Superpole Race. In 2021, he claimed his first title by finishing second in Race 1 at Mandalika. Watch ‘The Final Stunt’ documentary about his journey to World Champion HERE. More wins followed and he soon became the rider with most wins for Yamaha, surpassing Noriyuka Haga’s 27 at Mandalika in 2022. A move to BMW followed and his first race win – Barcelona Race 1, 2024 – for the German brand was a tyre management masterclass, and he’d go on to make more history with them; including the longest ever winning streak in WorldSBK (13). He secured his second title, but BMW’s first, at the season-ending Spanish Round at Jerez by finishing in P2. Watch his journey from the BMW signing to winning the title with ‘The Greatest Stunt’.

Watch back all of Razgatlioglu’s races and best moments using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now 30% off!