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Toprak Razgatlıoğlu's much anticipated maiden outing aboard MotoGP™ machinery finally became a reality at Motorland Aragon, Spain. The reigning WorldSBK Champion is currently in a fierce, three-way battle with rivals Alvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea in a bid to retain his crown for 2022.

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He completed a total of 40 laps as part of a private test that was interrupted by rain, which limited Toprak's track time. He was joined in the test by Yamaha MotoGP™ test rider Cal Crutchlow - the 2009 World Supersport Champion and MotoGP™ race winner was on hand to not only pass on his knowledge of the bike but to provide Toprak with a reference lap time to work towards.

 

A 12-lap initial stint was followed by numerous shorter stints, with Toprak providing feedback to Yamaha's Test Engineers who then made adjustments to the bike and collected data. Predictably, no lap times were made available​.

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Commenting on how the day went, Toprak said:  “This was my first day on the Yamaha M1 MotoGP™ bike and it felt completely different to my R1. More horsepower, different electronics, seamless gearbox, all of which is completely new for me.  With every lap I learned more, because after WorldSBK it’s not so easy to adapt to the MotoGP™ machine. Fortunately, I had Cal Crutchlow on hand to offer advice and he was able to help me a lot. The bike feels good, especially on the straight where it’s very fast, and it was interesting to experience the carbon brakes.

 

“The conditions were really hot today, so we stuck to doing five or six lap runs only after the initial run of 12 laps to get a first feeling for the bike. When I watch the MotoGP™ bikes on television here at Aragon you can see it is a bit bumpy, and I can feel it here today. It’s not so bad, you have to keep the gas open to ride through the bumps, because if you close then it becomes more unstable. Overall, a very positive test, even if it was cut short by rain this afternoon, which meant I didn’t get quite as many laps in as I’d have liked. I really enjoyed riding the MotoGP™ bike, so many thanks to Yamaha for allowing me this opportunity.”

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Up until recently, the smart money was on Toprak to move to the RNF WithU MotoGP™ satellite Yamaha squad for 2023. However, with RNF boss Razlan Razali now striking a deal with Aprilia to run their increasingly potent RS GP bike from 2023 onwards, that door has now closed on Toprak. Indeed, Yamaha Monster Energy Team Principal Lin Jarvis has officially confirmed that there is no chance for Toprak to ride a Yamaha next season.

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So it would appear Toprak will remain in the World Superbike paddock until at least the end of the 2023 campaign. However, given Franco Morbidelli's continued woeful form on the second factory Yamaha M1, surely the Japanese marque will be thinking of a contingency if Morbidelli's results don't improve drastically?

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The Italian's contract runs until the end of the 2023 season and he is currently languishing in 19th place in the MotoGP™ standings as of the time of writing. Yet his teammate and reigning MotoGP™ Champion Fabio Quartararo sits top of the pile in first position.

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With Toprak contracted directly to the Yamaha factory (as opposed to being a Pata Yamaha with Brixx employee), and despite Yamaha officially stating that they want Morbidelli to see out his contact, there is nothing actually stopping them from terminating Morbidelli's contract early and promoting Toprak in 2023. Especially if Toprak can defend his title this season and win his second WorldSBK title.

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Something tells us that this isn't as black and white as it appears...