Toprak Razgatlioglu: Shoulder Will Decide Phillip Island Start

• Shoulder dislocated in the second free practice session, 19th in the sprint, retirement from the Grand Prix after eight laps
• Medical examination in Turkey, Razgatlioglu hopes to avoid surgery
• The next race is the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island from 23 to 25 October 2026

Toprak Razgatlioglu actually had nothing but good memories of Mandalika. At the Indonesian circuit, he won his first World Superbike title with Yamaha in 2021. A year later he won all three races there, and in 2023 he added another victory and two second places. After that, Mandalika disappeared from the Superbike calendar. His return on the Pramac Yamaha MotoGP bike has now ended for the 29-year-old with a shoulder injury, a finish near the back of the sprint and a retirement in Sunday’s race.

What happened to Toprak Razgatlioglu at Mandalika?

Razgatlioglu crashed heavily in the second free practice session on Saturday morning and dislocated his right shoulder. The shoulder was put back in place at the circuit.

Despite this, the Turkish rider took part in the first qualifying session shortly afterwards and then in the sprint. He finished 19th, 23.8 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez. Only Aleix Espargaro, who was standing in as a replacement rider at Honda, finished behind him. Razgatlioglu cancelled his media debrief in order to recover. In a written statement, he described the crash as follows: “Before qualifying today I had a big crash in which I dislocated my shoulder and it was put back in. I feel pain, which is normal.”

Already in the sprint he noticed that he lacked strength in his right shoulder. On top of that came problems with the bike. He said the electronics needed better tuning in some corners because he was losing time, especially in the second sector. For Sunday he still hoped for a much better result, even though the full race distance would be difficult for every rider.

Why did Razgatlioglu retire from the race at Mandalika?

He lacked strength in his right shoulder, especially under braking. After eight laps, he therefore pulled into the pits and retired.

His condition had worsened significantly overnight. When Razgatlioglu woke up on Sunday, the pain was much stronger than on Saturday and he could only move the shoulder to a limited extent. Painkillers helped with the discomfort, but not with the actual problem. “Already in the morning I felt that there were problems with the shoulder. On Saturday it was not so bad, I was able to complete the sprint. But a day later I felt strong pain and had limited mobility. I took painkillers. But the pain was not the biggest problem. I lacked strength, especially under braking. There are many right-hand corners here and my shoulder was simply not strong enough,” he explained.

He found the fast changes of direction in the quick section of the track particularly difficult. There, the rider has to throw the bike from one side to the other with a lot of force.

Before the start, his team had already advised him not to ride at all or to stop if the pain became too great. Razgatlioglu still wanted to try. “I spoke with the team. They said I should retire or not start at all. I wanted to at least try and give my best.” After retiring, he made it clear: “The shoulder was my biggest problem, not the bike.”

Does Razgatlioglu need shoulder surgery?

That is still open. Razgatlioglu is flying to Turkey on Monday to have the shoulder examined in detail.

Only then is it likely to be clear how serious the injury is and what treatment will be needed. The Pramac rider himself hopes to get by without an operation: “We now have a week off. I am flying to Turkey on Monday and having my shoulder examined. I hope that I don’t need surgery and that I can simply rest until the next race.”

Can Razgatlioglu race at the Australian Grand Prix?

Whether Razgatlioglu lines up at Phillip Island depends on the result of the examination. The Australian Grand Prix takes place from 23 to 25 October 2026.

This circuit in particular is physically very demanding for the riders. At Phillip Island, fast changes of direction follow one another, and with modern MotoGP bikes this requires a lot of strength. One week after Australia, the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang is already on the schedule, followed by Qatar.

Why was Mandalika a missed opportunity for Razgatlioglu?

The weekend had started promisingly for Razgatlioglu. He got off to a good start on Friday, but after the crash on Saturday he was unable to build on it.

“I am a bit sad because we had a good start on Friday. Normally I improve from day to day. But after the crash everything changed,” the Turkish rider said.

Before the weekend, he had been looking forward to returning to the place where he won his first title: “I have very nice memories from Mandalika, especially from 2021 when I won my first World Superbike title with Yamaha.” At the same time, he pointed out that the track is a completely different experience on a MotoGP bike and requires a different riding style.

A lot was also at stake for the Pramac team. Neither of its two riders had scored points in the two races before Indonesia. Team director Gino Borsoi said before the weekend that the team had recently not been as competitive as it was in mid-season. He hoped that Indonesia would be a turning point and that Pramac could once again fight for the positions the team believes it is capable of.

Where does Razgatlioglu stand in the 2026 MotoGP championship?

Razgatlioglu leaves Indonesia 21st in the championship with 18 points. He has not scored a single point in the last three race weekends.

In total, he has scored points seven times in his first MotoGP season. His best result so far is eleventh place at the Balaton Park in Hungary, where he was also the best Yamaha rider. The new Yamaha with its V4 engine is still a young project, and it lacks a fair amount of top speed compared to the competition. Anyone who, like Razgatlioglu, often starts from far back therefore finds it hard to pass other bikes in the race. The rookie’s biggest areas for improvement so far are the Michelin tyres, braking and corner speed. It is precisely in these areas that the MotoGP riding style differs from the one he is used to from World Superbike.

What changes for Razgatlioglu in 2027?

In 2027, MotoGP will race with new 850cc prototypes and with Pirelli tyres instead of Michelin. Razgatlioglu knows Pirelli from his time in World Superbike.

The new bikes are designed more for high corner speed, an area in which Razgatlioglu still has to improve. In addition, he will get a new teammate at Pramac in Izan Guevara. Unlike Razgatlioglu, Guevara comes to the premier class via the classic route through Moto3 and Moto2. The comparison between the two in the same team should show how well the three-time Superbike world champion copes with the new regulations.

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