Sofuoglu clinches Imoha round

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Kenan Sofuoglu

Mahi Racing Team India rider Kenan Sofuoglu delivered a strong performance en route to victory in the shortened seventh leg of the World Supersport Championship in Imoha, Italy, on Sunday. Sofuoglu, who secured a second place on the grid in the qualifying round on Saturday, took the lead from the then-leader Sam Lowes on the first turn itself and kept him at bay till the chequered flag was waved, winning by three seconds.
Even an oil spill on the track could not stop defending champion Sofuoglu from taking the top honours as stewards stopped the race after incidents of slipping with 14th laps remaining.

“Though I would have loved to have taken the chequered flag at the end of the full race, a win is a win and I am very happy to return to finish at the top,” said the Turkish rider. His team mate and Mahi Racing’s second rider Fabien Foret finished 12th.
Lowes, who began from the pole position, looked set to complete a set of five successive wins but Sofuoglu upset his rhythm in the first lap itself as he took over the lead on the first turn. Before the oil spill event happened, Sofuoglu even had the fastest lap time to his credit in 1 minute 51. 960 seconds in the third lap which gave him some breathing space from Lowes.
The race was red flagged with 14 laps to go when Prorace Honda rider Valentin Debise had an engine blow out and oil from the bike spilled on to the track. The stewards allowed the race to be carried on but two more incidents of slipping forced them to bring an end to the race.
With the win, Sofuoglu now stands second in overall standings with 106 points and is 35 behind Sam Lowes at 141. Foret was third with 85 points.
Arun Pandey, team’s chairman, congratulated Sofuoglu for securing the top position and said that the performance was a proof that they were strong contenders in this year’s championship.
“At the half way mark, the performance of the riders are very satisfying right now and we are confident we will be only bettering ourselves from here on,” he said.