Current World Superbike riders share their thoughts on Can Oncu ahead of a potential move to Pata Maxus Yamaha.
It has been six years since Can Oncu moved across from the Moto3 World Championship to the World Supersport Championship.
During this time, the Turkish rider has won six races and has featured on 20 further podiums in the Supersport class.
Throughout the 2025 season, Oncu has been riding for the Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team and has been a Championship contender on the Yamaha R9.
After nine rounds of the Supersport Championship, the 22-year-old has been in discussions with the Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Team over a ride for the 2026 season.
At the French World Superbike Round, former Yamaha World Superbike Champion, Toprak Razgatlioglu, praised Oncu and is hopeful his fellow Turkish rider will be promoted.
"In his half-day of testing, he looked strong, not bad, and his lap time was okay," Razgatlioglu told Speedweek.com.
"But of course, he has a lot to learn; this was his first time on a Superbike. It's a completely different bike, requiring a different style. He has potential and needs to adapt.
"The decision is up to Yamaha, but to me, it looks like Can is ready for this challenge. At first, we also talked about the Moto2 World Championship, but then Yamaha started talking about Superbike.
"That's why we forgot about the Moto2 class and are now focusing on Superbike. After the test, we'll wait for Yamaha's decision."
However, current Yamaha Superbike rider, Andrea Locatelli, believes Oncu should win the Supersport title before being promoted to Superbikes.
"Can has great talent, and it would be nice to have him by my side," Locatelli added.
"At the same time, you have to consider that he might leave the Supersport class without winning the Championship. I don't know if Yamaha would prefer two veterans on the team or a youngster whose level would then be boosted, like they did with me.
"If I were Can, I would try to win the World Championship, like I did, and then move up. After my Moto2 days, I was perhaps ready to jump straight to Superbike. But for me, that would have been like skipping a step. Instead of taking two steps at once, it's better to take one step at a time.
"When I was leading the Supersport World Championship and then won it, it was clear to me that I would move up. That's what I thought – other riders might have different ideas."
