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The official race report service of Kawasaki Racing Team.

20 August 2017

Red Flag Finish Keeps Sofuoglu Second

Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider Kenan Sofuoglu had his clear chance of winning a highly competitive Lausitzring WorldSSP Championship race taken away from him after a red flag was shown just as he had taken the lead in the closing stages of the race.

The planned 19-lap race was finally ended early after a rider that Sofuoglu had just passed crashed out of contention, with his machine re-entering the track and knocking off another rider. A red flag was shown and the results taken back to the end of lap 16, which left Sofuoglu second.
 
His latest strong ride saw Kenan make it five podium finishes in a row, despite having not had an easy time in qualifying in Germany, and sitting as low as fifth until the halfway mark.
 
Making his way forward in the gradual way he had planned it, the Turkish star chose to take the lead and make it stick near the end, but had to settle for second after the race was stopped.
 
Sofuoglu’s young team-mate Kyle Ryde was 16th today, just one place out of the points. He had not been able to find confidence in his set-up to maximise his hard cornering style, which would have allowed him to fight inside the leading groups.
 
After the eighth round of the championship Lucas Mahias has 121 points, Sofuoglu 120 and Lausitz race winner Sheridan Morais 101. Ryde has 43 points and is in tenth place overall.
 
The next round of the WorldSSP Championship will take place at Portimao, in Portugal, with raceday on Sunday September 17th.
 
Kenan Sofuoglu, stated: “It went how I thought in many ways and I think we played a good game, waiting for the last few laps. In the beginning I decided to try and take the lead on the last lap and then win the race that way. The plan worked well but the red flag was not in my end plan. I think after a hard race we deserved to win but the red flag stopped that. We still had a podium, second position, after a weekend that was not so easy. We proved that even in a hard round we could handle it and manage things in the race. I am happy for the points and the podium and we took 20 points, which is still very good.”
 
Kyle Ryde, stated: “I have not had a good feeling with the front end all weekend and the way I ride I only make time up on the front. I have struggled all weekend although we have tried softer and harder settings. I matched my time from qualifying this morning in warm-up and made another change but it was no better and no worse. I may be a little off the front guys in myself, but not this far off, so we need to find out why and sort it out.”
 
Michael Canducci (3570 Puccetti Racing FMI Kawasaki) was 15th in Germany, Ryde 16th, Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) 18th, Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) 19th and Kazuki Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 20th. Test rider Ken Iguchi (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) placed 24th.
 
Lachlan Epis (Response RE Racing Kawasaki) is 26th and is 31st was 21st in Germany, while Gino Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) and Rob Hartog (Team Hartog Jenik Against Cancer Kawasaki) no scored today.