WSBK | Silly Season | 2026

Never met him, don't know him and if he was standing in front of me it'd take a bit for me to even recognize him but I think one thing holding Garrett back is being the sole rider on the team and even the brand in the series. Would a team mate help him? Wouldn't hurt.

 

Can Toprak win a race in 2026?

 

I REALLY like Toprak and think it's incredibly amazing that he's moving into MotoGP, but I would bet money on him not winning in 2026. 2027, there may be an outside chance due to the rules and tire changes leveling the field a bit more, but MotoGP prototype machines are so vastly different from Superbikes that I think there's a lot of ground to cover to get acclimated before beating everyone else. Of course there's a one-off strategy rain race or something that could happen, but I think he won't under normal race conditions.

 

My comment was really just the use of the word "racer". There's a whole world of words out there someone can use to say "Garrett isn't ___ ". But "racer"??? I mean that's just ridiculous. Classic armchair quarterbacking.

I'd go a step further than your comments about his career path and say that he HAS had plenty of times where he's had to use race craft, fight for positions, make difficult passes, etc. Does everyone forget how many races guys like Garrett have completed in their career?!?!? People act like he got on an R6 and won every race from pole, then an R1 and won every race from pole, then got into WSBK and has no experience racing?

 

I agree...beating Bautista, Petrucci, Rea, and Iannone is one thing, but beating the fastest MotoGP guys is a completely different level.

 

As a rookie, on the Yamaha, on Michelins, in the Pramac team, against the Marquezs, Acosta, and the rest of the current top 10 riders in motogp?

Sure, and monkeys could fly outta my butt.

 

I'd argue that there probably isn't another current racer on the planet that has a better understanding of the Pirelli front tire and how to use it best.

Assuming the GP options will be consistent with Pirelli's current production lineup, Toprak has a lot of value as a development rider. I don't know if he's pointy end of MotoGP fast on a Pramac (or any) bike, but he brings a lot to the table at the right time and may show some flashes in 27 when everything changes and he's had the 26 season under his belt on GP equipment.

I'm personally interested because he's a personality. Much of the GP paddock is interchangeable to me. He's a little different. I like it.

There are quite a few guys on the GP grid that haven't, and won't, win a dry flag to flag race. I think Toprak can beat at least some of them.

 

Completely agree and I for me, he is the FIRST person I am interested in seeing get into MotoGP asap. All those things you mention. He brings a HUGE fan base, he's likeable for fans that aren't familiar with him, he's competitive and willing to dig deep into race craft, he's more often than not on the "clean" side of racing so non-fans and fellow racers respect him.

 

Context. He's obviously a dedicated athlete, a seasoned veteran racer and a fantastic talent who has won championships that weren't easy to win.

But he's being compared to other guys who have also done the same thing and results are results. And armchair racers gonna race.

 

The irony of calling an armchair racer a racer while others do not use the term for Garrett does not escape me.

 

This forum, and being at the actual race track all season is the closest thing I have to social media. If I'm your tour guide for revealing the absolute insanity (and irony) of how it works and talks, you're in a lot of trouble, buster.

You have to accept that most comments come from people that really only watch this stuff on TV and haven't raced a motorcycle or, if they have, haven't even been to a race track in years. That's the majority of people that are "race fans". NASCAR makes a pretty good business of it. It's just the way it is. Just because you're posting here doesn't mean you're talking to people doing what you're doing.

But, to your point ... yup.

If the only race fans were racers, racing (worldwide) would be out of business in short order.

Also, I'm a die hard Eagles fan and I never played even college level football. But ...

 

I always think the "superbike racers can't compete in MotoGP" idea is a weak argument. In the last 2o or so years, what sample size do we have of riders starting on superbikes before going to MotoGP? The sample size is tiny but I can't really think of any massive failures that should disqualify that entire paddock? I think it purely comes down to the fact that MotoGP teams can monitor Moto2 and Moto3 guys so they prefer to promote from within.

Petrucci (SSTK1000), Crutchlow, Spies, Edwards, Hayden (AMA SBK to MotoGP); those guys all did pretty damn okay. And imo none of those guys were on the level of Toprak (no offense to any of them).

There are probably ~25 guys in Moto2 this year that would do worse than any of those SBK to MotoGP riders listed above. I think Toprak's chances are just fine.

 

Those five racers you listed had a combined 819 MotoGP races with nine wins.

 

They were kicking ass, I tell ya

 

So, did you intentionally leave out the one championship? I am betting most MotoGP teams not on Ducati right now would love a 1 in 5 chance of winning a championship.

Also, if the five of them sucked, they would not have stayed in the paddock for anywhere near a total of 819 races. Too much talent coming up through Moto2 / 250GP. If they were not any good, they would have been gone.

I would have included Bayliss as well to add another win to the total.

 

I definitely remember him and Jake Lewis both battling at each round for the WERA National Championships. They even split the National Challenge Superbike and Superstock championships. I thought it even came down to the last round as to who would win the championship but I could be wrong.
Was amazing that there were two kids that FAST at the same time. Was amazing to be on the track with that much young talent.
I truly haven't followed him enough in MA and WSBK (I check his results after each round but don't watch the races to see how his race craft has developed or as some are saying never developed) to comment further but for sure he didn't run away with championships in WERA.

Also I really want to have an American in WSBK and MotoGP at some point so I'm incredibly biased

 

With Toprak and Bautista moving on, two factory seats are avaialble for 2026. I would love to see two outsiders brought in. I'd like to see what Aron Canet can do on a superbike.

 

100% agree.

Hopefully Olivera and Fernandez are both out next year and not WSBK castaways but done done (or off to Endurance racing)... I like em both but prefer to see young blood get a shot in this case.

Joe Roberts in WSBK wouldn't be horrible even though him and Canet aren't really "young" any longer".

BSB doesn't have any riders off hand who look to be rising stars - Skinner didn't pan out in Moto2, and their grid is deep but I'd guess the average age in that Series to be well over 30 right now.

Same for ASBK and our own CSBK up north here.

Seems any young gun to WSBK would be a WSS or Moto2 stud.

 

If you guys recall, when Garrett was back at Yamaha with Toprak, he actually had a decent amount of fight in him. Unfortunately, some poorly judged passes went really badly and the fallout from that seems to have permanently messed with his head. Maybe that supports what others have said about him not having the precision in a fight to really battle without causing an accident. It's pretty unlikely he will regain his mojo, but there is a fairly long list of people who were written off and then came back to be highly successful. Roberts will never get a ride in MGP, so if you're looking to waive the flag, there's nobody in the pipeline that I can think of.