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The official race report service of Kawasaki Racing Team.

WSS, Misano, SAN MARINO, 16 Junio 2017

Sofuoglu Takes Superpole Again In WorldSSP

Five-time WorldSSP champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) secured his 33rd career Superpole race win, and his third of the 2017 season, with a 1.38.672 lap at Misano this afternoon. Kyle Ryde, his young team-mate, qualified 19th on the grid.

An incredible comeback from early season bad luck continued in Superpole 2 for Sofuoglu at round seven, extending his own record of career Superpole wins to 33, as he went 0.098 seconds faster than the next rider in the ranking, Jules Cluzel.
 
After experiencing a technical issue and then a fall on Friday, yet still finishing the opening day on top of the time sheets, Kenan and his crew made their expected progress today to earn a start from the ideal grid position for Sunday’s 19-lap race.
 
Ryde did not have the results he had expected in Superpole 1 and now starts the race from the front of the seventh row, but intent on making up places and getting well into the points on Sunday.
 
Kenan Sofuoglu, stated: “Yesterday we had a small technical problem, then a fall, but the important thing is that my pace is still very strong. I cannot say that I did a really fast single lap in Superpole but I still set a pole position lap time, which is very good for the start of the race. Superpole is always a positive thing to win, but it the main goal is to win the race tomorrow.”
 
Kyle Ryde, stated: “I went a full second faster earlier today than I did yesterday so I thought that it would all come together well in Superpole. I think I tried too hard when I had fresh tyres on the bike but apart from not getting the grid position I wanted, we have made a step forward from yesterday.”
 
Gino Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) was tenth after Superpole, Axel Bassani (3570 Puccetti Racing FMI Kawasaki) - who is standing in for the injured Michael Canducci – was 11th.
 
Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) went 17th in the timesheets, Ryde 19th, with two more Kawasaki riders, Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) and Kazuki Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 20th and 21st respectively.
 
Rob Hartog (Team Hartog Jenik Against Cancer Kawasaki) ended his preparations for Sunday’s race in 24th place, with Lachlan Epis (Response RE Racing Kawasaki) 28th.