English
Italiano
One thing is certain: Toprak Razgatlioglu represents the lynchpin of the Superbike market, around whom negotiations are taking place in view of 2026. Once it is decided what the Turk will do next year, the other scenarios will follow.
The fact remains that it promises to be a incandescent period for the SBK market, considering that all the big names will have their contracts expiring. Toprak is clearly the object of desire and Honda is certainly not staying with its arms folded.
In fact, HRC has arrived at a crucial point for its involvement in the production-derived series: six years ago the SBK project began and at the moment the goal of winning and capturing the world title has not yet been achieved. Initially it was decided to bet on the pair formed by Leon Haslam and Alvaro Bautista, but after only two years the Spaniard backed out, returning to Ducati. The top management of the manufacturer then decided to restart by putting tis faith in Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge.
In recent years, the CBR 1000 RR-R has made obvious progress, arriving at fighting for the podium, but still seeing from afar the main goal, which is victory. As if that were not enough, the new bike was launched on the market, which to date enjoys super concessions.
Nevertheless, a clear gap from the competition remains. Honda therefore needs one last step on its growth path, just as BMW did two years ago when it plunged into the gutter.
Hence the idea of targeting a champion like Toprak Razgatlioglu. The Turk's contract is expiring, and to achieve that much-dreamed-of triumph, the top brass think he might be just the right rider. As if that were not enough, the profile of the Turk is attractive in no small part to the Japanese engineer Tetsuya Sasaki, who arrived this year in Honda after a past in Suzuki MotoGP and became the reference of the team manager Jose Manuel Escamez inside the box.
Interest in Toprak is strong, and confirmation comes from the declaration made last week by Iker Lecuona, who warned of the possibility linked to hiring the Turkish rider for 2026.
On the horizon, however, is the Assen round, where the presence of Kenan Sofuoglu, Toprak's manager, is expected, and he will be involved in some meetings regarding the future of his client: the priority is undoubtedly BMW and most likely there will also be a meeting with Honda.
In order to convince a champion like Toprak, Honda has on its side the economic aspect, as well as the fact that even in 2026 the CBR will most likely enjoy superconcessions, thus offering the possibility to intervene more on the bike unlike the other manufacturers, exactly as it did a year ago on BMW.
The world champion thus represents the dream, but at the same time alternatives are being considered. At the Portimao weekend, Escamez had a long discussion with Gelete Nieto, who since this year is the manager of Andrea Iannone, and his goal for 2026 is to get on a factory bike. We are of the opinion that The Maniac is looking with interest at the CBR, considering among other things the arrival in HRC of Tetsuya Sasaki, an engineer that Andrea knows well given the experience they shared in the Suzuki MotoGP days.
In short: the market is just beginning, to Toprak the first move!
