Andrea Dovizioso explains why Toprak Razgatlioglu has caught everyone at Yamaha off guard

Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images Andrea Dovizioso: “Nobody thought Toprak Razgatlioglu would do what he did” Andrea Dovizioso says that Toprak Razgatlioglu’s ability to compete with Fabio Quartararo so early in his MotoGP career took everyone by surprise. Even though he’s not fully settled yet, Dovizioso was impressed by how well the 29-year-old has adapted to the V4 Yamaha YZR-M1 and Michelin tyres. He managed to finish 15th at COTA, just ahead of teammate Jack Miller and also passed Quartararo late in the race to earn his first MotoGP point.

Quartararo noticed Razgatlioglu’s different approach at COTA, suggesting that his background in World Superbikes helps him look after tyres better. Adjusting to Michelin’s compounds has been one of Razgatlioglu’s main hurdles, but he seems to be finding ways around it quickly. Andrea Dovizioso stunned by Toprak Razgatlioglu outpacing Fabio Quartararo at COTA Photo by Steve Wobser/Getty Images Given Yamaha’s switch to the V4 engine, Razgatlioglu’s early results can only be measured against his fellow Yamaha riders.

But even with those limitations, what he showed in Texas caught Dovizioso’s attention. Dovizioso has been a valuable resource for Razgatlioglu during his transition, but even within the team, no one anticipated him being able to match Quartararo this early on. It’s also worth noting that Razgatlioglu was the second-fastest Yamaha rider in qualifying at COTA.

Dovizioso told Moto. it: “Yamaha are going through a somewhat unusual situation, but as we expected. Anyone who’s worked on new projects, with new bikes, knows full well what the difficulties are, and it’s not really a surprise to us.