From Kenan Sofuoğlu to Toprak, Türkiye's MotoGP Journey

MotoGP
Author: Lütfi Mete Odabaşı
Creation: 14 October 2026

A dream that took root at Istanbul Park is finally reaching the summit of world motorcycle racing with Toprak Razgatlıoğlu's MotoGP move in 2026.

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Türkiye's MotoGP story is a tale that began with Kenan Sofuoğlu's Supersport and Moto2 career, took root with the Turkish Grand Prix held at Istanbul Park between 2005 and 2007, and reached its peak with Toprak Razgatlıoğlu stepping into the premier class in 2026. In short: Turkish motorcycle racing has reached the very top step of world championships. In this article, we have brought together that entire journey - from the class structure to the legends, from the circuits to prototype technology - in a single narrative.

Highlights

2005-2007: The Turkish motorcycle Grand Prix was held for three seasons at Istanbul Park.
5 championships: Kenan Sofuoğlu set a record in Supersport (2007, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016).
2026: Toprak Razgatlıoğlu became Türkiye's first MotoGP rider.
1949: The first Grand Prix world championship was held - the longest-standing championship in motorsport.

What Is the Difference Between MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3?

Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of road racing and the oldest continuously running motorsport world championship since 1949. The modern championship consists of three classes, all with official status. The simplest way to put it: Moto3 is a door, Moto2 the middle of the staircase, and MotoGP the rooftop. You climb step by step, and each step means a more powerful, faster, and more expensive machine.

Moto3: The successor to the 125cc two-stroke class in 2012. It uses 250cc four-stroke single-cylinder engines, and the motorcycle's weight limit including fuel is 65 kilograms. This is where young riders step onto the world stage.
Moto2: The new name for the 250cc class in 2010. It started with 600cc four-stroke Honda engines; in 2019 it switched to the 765cc three-cylinder Triumph production engine. Since the engine is the same for everyone, the difference is created in the chassis - which is why the manufacturers' championship is awarded to the chassis manufacturer.
MotoGP: The premier class. The 500cc class took this name in 2002 and four-stroke engines of up to 990cc were allowed; displacement dropped to 800cc in 2007 and returned to 1,000cc in 2012. Each race lasts 40-45 minutes, or around 100-130 km; there were 22 Grands Prix on the calendar last season.

There is one more detail that changes everything: MotoGP machines are purpose-built prototypes with no road version at all. Carbon fiber body layers are impossibly light for series production. World Superbike is quite the opposite - modified versions of sellable road motorcycles race there. This distinction will be very useful to us shortly when we talk about Toprak's transition.

A brief look at the regulatory evolution of the classes

The premier class has undergone a rapid transformation in recent years: Michelin returned as tire supplier in 2016, a sprint race was introduced at every Grand Prix in 2023, and in 2024 Pirelli became the official tire supplier for Moto2 and Moto3. Another milestone was written in 2024: Jorge Martín became the first independent team rider to win the championship in MotoGP. As for commercial rights, they belong to Dorna Sports, which was purchased by the owner of Formula One in 2025.

Who Is the Best MotoGP Rider in History? Agostini, Rossi and Márquez Comparison

This discussion is prone to starting fights in bars, so let's go with the statistics. Giacomo Agostini, with 15 world championships and 122 race wins, is the most successful rider across all Grand Prix classes; he also holds the premier class record with 8 championships. Come on, for goodness' sake, Agostini achieved his 68 wins in just 130 races - meaning he won roughly one out of every two races. Rossi's win rate, on the other hand, is around 24 percent.

Valentino Rossi holds most of the win records in the premier class with 89 wins, and when he retired in 2021, he took the title of being the last rider to race in both the 500cc era and a MotoGP race. Marc Márquez went down in history as the first rookie to win the championship in the MotoGP era in 2013 and the youngest premier class world champion; he became champion for the seventh time in 2025, and the 2,184-day gap between two of his championships was recorded as the longest in history. In the same season, Marc and Álex Márquez became the first brothers to finish 1st and 2nd in a championship. The other champions of 2025: Diogo Moreira, Brazil's first world champion, in Moto2, and José Antonio Rueda in Moto3.

A note for Ducati fans too: Ducati, which won the premier class championship in the 800cc era with Casey Stoner in 2007, was the first European manufacturer to lift that trophy in 33 years. Manufacturer rivalry is written into history in precisely moments like these.

Who Is Kenan Sofuoğlu? From Five Championships to Moto2

Born on July 25, 1984, in the Akyazı district of Sakarya, Kenan Sofuoğlu is the name who won the Supersport World Championship a record five times: 2007, 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2016. The first two championships came with Honda, the last three with Kawasaki. Over his career, he started 126 races, took 43 wins, made 85 podium appearances, and set 34 fastest laps. These figures are the stat sheet of a championship machine, nothing else.

What about Moto2? As the 2010 Supersport champion, Sofuoğlu moved up to the full world championship in 2011 with the Technomag-CIP team, and he was already a well-known name in MotoGP circles by then. The transition to prototypes means a major adaptation process for any rider coming from the Superbike world - fierce braking, a different chassis character, everything has to be learned anew. Sofuoğlu's Moto2 adventure did not turn into a long career; his legend was written in Supersport. He also raced in the Superbike World Championship during his career. And one important note: the Sofuoğlu surname has not faded from the tracks - Bahattin Sofuoğlu from the family is racing in the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship with the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team.

Perhaps Sofuoğlu's most lasting legacy is not the numbers, but an apprentice. We will get to him shortly.

Has MotoGP Been Held in Türkiye? The İstanbul Park Era and Talks of a Return

İstanbul Park'ta ekilen MotoGP tutkusu, TV başında Melandri izleyen bir kuşakta Sofuoğlu'nun dünya şampiyonluğuna dönüştü.

Yes, it has! The Turkish motorcycle Grand Prix was held at İstanbul Park, designed by Hermann Tilke, for three seasons between 2005 and 2007 was completed. The track was finished in August 2005 in time for the first Turkish Grand Prix and hosted a permanent 3,317-meter circuit at Akfırat; in the same period, series such as DTM also raced there. Over those three years, the biggest race winners were Marco Melandri and Casey Stoner (two wins each), while the most successful manufacturer was Honda with five wins.

Here's a reminder from me: the seeds of the MotoGP passion in Türkiye were sown exactly in those years. A generation that watched Melandri in front of the TV on Sunday mornings celebrated Sofuoğlu's world championship a few years later. Did you notice? The chain rests on the previous link at every stage.

So is there a comeback? There is no official announcement yet, but the discussion is heated. Toprak Razgatlıoğlu says he is working on the return of the Turkish MotoGP for 2028 and that Istanbul Park is ready to host MotoGP again. It's talk awaiting official confirmation, but the idea that the door closed in 2007 could reopen is now being taken seriously.

Which Team Is Toprak Razgatlıoğlu on in MotoGP? Türkiye's First MotoGP Rider

Here's the long-awaited moment: born in Alanya, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, is racing for Prima Pramac Yamaha in the MotoGP World Championship from the 2026 season onward - meaning he is Türkiye's first MotoGP rider in history. Even better, he is doing it as a three-time world champion and the defending WorldSBK champion: at the end of 2025 he won his third consecutive WSBK title and immediately moved up to the Premier class. He also holds the title of the first Turkish athlete to become champion in the 33-year history of World Superbike. He contested his first MotoGP race at the Thailand Grand Prix.

His WSBK career progressed a bit like a game board: he became champion with Yamaha in 2021, transferred to BMW in 2024 which had long been starved of wins, then returned to Yamaha and kept collecting trophies one after another. Now, in this project within the Yamaha-Pramac collaboration - not a factory-backed Pramac-Yamaha - he is facing the test of the Prototype class one year before the 2027 regulation change.

From Sofuoğlu to Toprak: A chain of mastery

Sofuoğlu's imprint on Toprak's story is not subtle. Toprak was one of the two athletes selected from the "Red Bull Under My Wings" project run with Kenan Sofuoğlu at the 2013 opening - meaning the name who guided him on the road to championships was big brother Kenan. This figure, who pulled his first motorcycle stunt at the age of eight, contested his first race in İzmir and is known today by the nickname "El Turco," now sits at the top link of the same chain. I think you've noticed too: Turkish motorcycle racing is no coincidence, but a mastery passed down.

The machine difference between MotoGP and Superbike

If you're asking "Why does a Superbike champion start from scratch in MotoGP?", the answer is hidden in the machine. MotoGP machines are harsh and rigid; the chassis, electronics, and tires amplify this handling difference. According to former Yamaha racer Wayne Gardner, the main characteristic difference between the two machines is power and braking. Think of it like having to relearn everything you learned in your car from scratch in a different car - but at 350 kilometers per hour. It is known that Toprak said he was not worried about the difficulties Yamaha experienced in this transition; the season itself is the rider's real test.

A Quick Glossary for MotoGP Newcomers

Before you close the article, if you landed here from search engines, here's a mini summary table that will come in handy:

Question	Answer
Founding of the championship	1949, the oldest motorsport world championship
Classes	MotoGP (premier), Moto2, Moto3 - all three official, all three four-stroke
MotoGP engine displacement	Four-stroke since 2002; up to 1,000cc since 2012
Moto2 engine	765cc Triumph production engine (since 2019, same for everyone)
Türkiye round	Istanbul Park, 2005-2007; there is a comeback effort for 2028 (not official)
Türkiye's first MotoGP rider	Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, Prima Pramac Yamaha, 2026
Most championships	Giacomo Agostini: 15 total, 8 in the premier class

Now I have a request for you: Are you thinking about Toprak's first podium? Because the most beautiful part of this story is that it hasn't been written yet. Sofuoğlu opened the door with five titles, Istanbul Park set the stage, Toprak stepped into the spotlight - which scene awaits is yet to be seen.