Four-time FIM Supersport World Champion and Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider Kenan Sofuoğlu topped Donington Park, the 7th round of the World Supersport Championship, marking his 35th career WSS race win.
The 31-year-old Turkish rider took pole position at the 20-lap WorldSSP race at Donington, winning by 1.569 seconds, as he continued his impresssive 2016 streak.
Despite losing the lead off the line before hunting down Honda's Patrick Jacobsen to retake the lead, he managed to pull away from the rest of the pack, securing his victory. U.S. racer Jacobsen came in 2nd while Sofuoğlu's Kawasaki Puccetti team mate Randy Krummenacher came in 3rd.
UK World Super Bike Championship at Donington results: WorldSSP Tissot-Superpole
1. Kenan Sofuoğlu Kawasaki Puccetti Racing 1:30.298
2. PJ Jacobsen Honda World Supersport Team + 0.224
3. Luke Stapleford Profile Racing + 0.379
Sofuoğlu currently stands at 121 points with Randy Krummenacher of Switzerland in second place at 95 points. Patrick Jacobsen (U.S.) is 3rd with 76, Jules Cluzel (France) just behind him with 75 and U.K.'s Kyle Smith 5th with 67 points.
Sofuoğlu has set his sights on his fifth WorldSSP crown with round 8 of the WorldSSP battle at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on the Riviera di Rimini in Italy on June 19,
In his long WorldSSP career, which has been studded with success almost throughout, Sofuoğlu has made 110 race starts before Donington Park.
Kenan Sofuoğlu is by far the most successful rider to have ever competed in the Supersport World Championship. Not only does he hold records in practically every area but he has now become a four-time World Champion, having already been the only rider to enjoy the honor three times.
Hailing from the Turkish town of Akyazı (whose postcode is 54 - the number with which Sofuoğlu has always raced), he began his professional career in 2003, missing out on the IDM Supersport title by just ten points. Also that year, he made his debut in World Supersport, competing in the races of Valencia, Oschersleben and Magny-Cours. Valencia was also the scene of his debut pole position, in 2007, but the first win came at Assen in 2006 as he beat his nearest opponent by four and a half seconds.
His first two titles came with Hannspree Ten Kate Honda, in 2007 and 2010 respectively. He achieved the crown again in 2012, this time with Lorenzini Kawasaki. During this phase Sofuoğlu also starred in the Moto2 World Championship, in 2010 and 2011. In the second of the two years, he finished on the podium at Assen, beaten only by future MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez.
Sofuoğlu's story of 2015 is one of triumph mixed with tragedy. Following a difficult period with MAHI Racing Team India last year, his Kawasaki Puccetti Racing partnership was hoped to deliver the title. Phillip Island in February presented a difficult start, as he was forced to recover to sixth place after an incident with Gino Rea, but there was a pole position and return to the podium in Thailand as he finished second behind first-time winner Ratthapark Wilairot. Then came a pivotal run of four straight wins at Aragon, Assen, Imola and Donington, but reading off results alone tells barely half of the story; not least as title rival Jules Cluzel's MV Agusta lost a potential 50 points due to engine failures in both the MotorLand and Buriram rounds.
