If you're new to the world of motorcycle racing, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu is the most exciting prospect in MotoGP right now. The three-time World Superbike (WorldSBK) champion is known for his wheelies and stoppies nearly as much as he is for making the transition from WorldSBK to MotoGP. But what most people don't know is that the Turkish showman started as a stunt rider.
Razgatlıoğlu said, "My motorcycle life started as a stunt rider,” before adding, “I started with the wheelie because my father did wheelies and stoppies at shows. He’d have a crash and then afterwards I see my father bandaged up - I would always see my father like this. So I started to learn how to do a wheelie after I started riding a bike.” Obviously, the stunt riding took a back seat once racing became the chosen career path, but stunt riders are always going to stunt, regardless of how many wheels are under them.
Recently, 'Stoprack' took to the track, but this time he was piloting a Yamaha YXZ1000R around a tight, narrow track. Razgatlıoğlu being Razgatlıoğlu, he had to find a way to wheelie the side-by-side. There was no way he was going to pull off a wheelie in the traditional sense, but he still found a way to half the number of wheels in contact with the ground by putting the UTV on its side.
What makes this more impressive is that it wasn't a momentary side wheelie; he drove around the track, slowly, took each corner precisely, all with a passenger aboard. It starts to beg the question: what can't this man stunt? Thankfully, we shouldn't have to wait too long to see his antics again.
Razgatlıoğlu is racing alongside Jack Miller aboard a Prima Pramac Yamaha for the 2026 MotoGP season. The shakedown test is underway right now in Sepang, Malaysia and I'm sure it won't be long before the Turkish rider puts the MotoGP grid on notice regarding who can perform the longest rolling stoppie.
