The WorldSSP championship has thrown up surprise results and no fewer than nine individual podium finishers across the first four rounds of the year. Through it all the two official Kawasaki riders, Randy Krummenacher and Kenan Sofuoglu, have shown consistent form on track. They sit first and second in the standings, with rookie Krummenacher on 71 points and four-time world champion Sofuoglu on 61.
Even a no-score after a tyre issue at the first round for Sofuoglu and two narrow off-podium finishes for Krummenacher have not held the Puccetti duo back in their attack on the podium or points table. Kawasaki currently leads the Manufacturers’ Standings by 15 points.
After some significant modifications to the technical rules for the entire class, involving a great reduction in allowable electronic aids in particular, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R and its lead rider pairing have continued to make progress at the top of the table.
Imola is an all-new track for former Grand Prix rider Krummenacher, one of a handful of new venues he will face this year as he makes the transition to production derived racing. He has been enthralled by the videos he has seen of the layout and is more than keen to get into action to try and defend his championship lead, after learning the secrets of the undulating 4.936km Imola parkland circuit.
Sofuoglu is no stranger to Imola, having won three races there throughout his illustrious career. Two of his Imola wins have come riding Kawasaki machinery, in 2013 and last year. Understandably he is confident on the eve of race weekend as he tries to narrow the ten point gap to his team-mate Krummenacher at the top of the points’ standings.
Randy Krummenacher: “I don’t know the track at Imola but I have watched the onboard camera footage. I feel I am going to really love it so I cannot wait to get there. It is super fast and I love it when it is super fast. I am very hungry to go fast and there is not much more to say until I get there. I just want to enjoy it and have fun. In general for the championship I am sure when I went to Australia I did not expect to be leading the championship but now, more and more, I feel that I am capable of doing good things like I have done in the four races so far. It feels more normal now and I will to try to keep it up and stay in front. It is a really nice feeling, which gives me a lot of confidence and I learn every second I am on the bike. I need to pay attention and for sure the other riders are also fast. If I want to be better than them I always have to look for improvement.”
Kenan Sofuoglu: “Imola is one of the very best tracks for us and in the past we have made good results there. If you look at the general package of the bike in the first four races the bike looks very strong. We do not have problems with the new technical rules - no more traction control and so on - so everything is going very well. In four races we have had three podiums and without one piece of bad luck in Phillip Island you could make it four races and four podiums. So things are going strongly and we are recovering the points we lost in Australia. We are catching up to the lead now. Hopefully in Imola it can be another good weekend for us and take more good points. Imola is one of my favourite tracks.”
Behind the leading Kawasaki duo the next best Ninja ZX-6R rider so far is GoEleven team rider Christian Gamarino in ninth place, with his team-mate Ondrej Jezek 11th. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) sits 12th and part-time rider Axel Bassani (San Carlo Team Italia Kawasaki) is 13th, despite only having ridden in two of the four rounds held so far. His fellow Europe Supersport Cup (ESS) rider Illia Mikhalchik (DS Racing Kawasaki) finished to six at the previous round in Assen and is now 15th in the combined standings with the regular WorldSSP full-time riders.