Sofuoğlu rides to third career title

ALGARVE, Portugal

Gold & Goose / Red Bull Content Pool

Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoğlu has claimed his third title in the SuperSport World Championship with one race left in the season.

Kawasaki Lorenzini rider Sofuoğlu came second in the Portuguese round on Sept. 23, and is now guaranteed to finish this year’s standings on top.

The final race in France on Oct. 7 will be just a formality for Sofuoğlu, who reached 218 points in the overall standings. Second-place Jules Cluzel, who rides Honda, has 185 points, while Fabian Foret on a Kawasaki is third with 160 points. Cluzel won the race at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on Sept. 23.

That is the third career victory for Sofuoğlu after his victories in 2007 and 2010. However, it can be said that this 2012 season has gone down as the 28-year-old’s most memorable victory to date.
“Turkish sport and motorcycling needed that victory,” The Turkish Motorcycling Federation chairman Bekir Yunus Uçar told Anatolia news agency. “Sofuoğlu had some tough days but he managed to win the title thanks to his determination.”

Prior to the season’s second race in Italy, Sofuoğlu was injured during training and had to undergo surgery on his left knee. He was also disqualified in the Italian race for riding off the track on a corner. Sofuoğlu was also hit with a four-place deduction penalty in Spain, in the seventh race of the season, for deliberately hitting opponent Foret during the race. Although he finished that race in first place, he was relegated to fifth.