Toprak Razgatlioglu did not expect his MotoGP debut at Misano to be this difficult. The Pramac rider described his bike as feeling like a "rental bike" when using soft tyres, forcing him to ride in a Superbike style he didn't want.
High expectations surrounded Razgatlioglu at the San Marino Grand Prix, given his familiarity with the Misano circuit from his WorldSBK days. But reality on track told a different story. On Friday, he was 0.5s slower than his Pramac teammate Jack Miller. Saturday morning's qualifying was even tougher: he was over 0.7s slower than fellow Yamaha rider Alex Rins and found himself at the back of the grid.
"When I tried the first soft tyre, I was surprised because it felt like it wasn't my bike," Razgatlioglu said. "It looks like I'm riding a rental bike. I tried to adapt to this tyre style, but the bike is not stopping; it's just going wide."
The main issue is clear: the bike struggles to stop. "When the bike doesn't stop, I can't turn the corner, I just brake harder, and I'm riding in a Superbike style because the soft tyre doesn't provide enough grip to stop the bike," he added. "We are pushing the front, and I'm also not using the rear tyre. Normally with the soft tyre you always use the exit, but I can't enter the corner. I'm losing the line. And on exit, it doesn't change."
Interestingly, on the medium tyre, Razgatlioglu felt comfortable. "With the medium tyre, my feeling was good. Even at the end of Friday's session I set my best lap on used tyres. But as soon as I put on the soft tyre, I expected to do 1m31s, but instead I only did 32.0. That's very strange. I don't understand anything," he explained.
Razgatlioglu and the Pramac team are still searching for the root cause. "We've been talking with the team. We don't know the problem. We tried to improve, and now it looks like we have more grip here, which is good. But the main problem remains: the bike doesn't stop," he stressed.
Nevertheless, the three-time WorldSBK champion remains optimistic. "I'm really motivated because this is the first time this season I've led FP1, and I'm very positive. I feel good. I just need to improve some corners for a good lap time," he concluded.
With remaining practice and qualifying sessions, Razgatlioglu still has time to turn things around. However, the MotoGP challenge is clearly different from Superbike, and adapting to the soft tyre is key if he wants to be competitive at Misano. Pramac Racing must also find a quick solution before Sunday's race.
Baca Juga
Marco Bezzecchi pecahkan rekor lintasan Misano dan raih pole MotoGP San Marino 2026. Marc Marquez kedua, Aldeguer lengkapi barisan depan.
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Marco Bezzecchi memecahkan rekor lap Misano dan merebut pole MotoGP San Marino 2026, mengalahkan Marc Marquez. Simak hasil lengkap kualifikasi.
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