Origin of the number 54
In international motorcycle racing, the number 54 is closely associated with Turkish riders. It became famous thanks to Kenan Sofuoglu, who won the Supersport World Championship title five times. Sofuoglu chose 54 because it represents the first digits of the postal code of his hometown Adapazari in Turkey. Toprak Razgatlioglu, a close friend and protégé of manager Sofuoglu, also chose 54 as his starting number in 2015 when he competed in the Superstock 600 European Championship. Since then, the number has accompanied him in both the Superstock 1000 European Championship and, from 2018, in the Superbike World Championship.
Fermin Aldeguer and the allocation of starting numbers in MotoGP
Fermin Aldeguer has been using 54 since his time in Moto2 and has even immortalized it as a tattoo on his arm. According to Razgatlioglu, it is impossible to buy the starting number from him, and even financial offers have been unsuccessful. This means that the Turkish rider will have to look for an alternative for his MotoGP career.
Possible new starting number – a look back at the beginnings
Razgatlioglu revealed that he has another favorite number. However, he ruled out the number 1. Instead, he referred to the early years of his racing career. In the 2011 and 2012 seasons, Razgatlioglu competed in the Yamaha R6 Cup in Germany – with the starting number 7. This number could become his trademark in MotoGP in the future.
Summary and outlook
Toprak Razgatlioglu will compete for Yamaha as a MotoGP rider in the Pramac Racing Team from 2026. As the previous starting number 54 has already been assigned to Fermin Aldeguer, a change of personal number is imminent. Historically, there is much to suggest that Razgatlioglu will revert to starting number 7, which he used at the beginning of his international career. However, it remains to be seen which number will actually appear on his Yamaha until the official announcement is made.
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