Kenan Sofuoglu started from pole position in today’s 18 lap World Supersport Race. The three time World Champion set a super-fast lap in the latter stages of yesterday’s qualifying session posting a 1:32.769 lap. He was the only rider on track to break the 1:33 barrier, two tenths of a second ahead of Pata Honda’s Michael van der Mark.
Sofuoglu took to the 4.445km Australian track at 13:10 local time with the aim of retaining the momentum from the previous day’s qualifying session, confident of a podium finish. After a fantastic start, the race was red flagged during the seventh lap due to another machine leaking oil onto the track rendering it unsafe for the race to continue. The organisers declared a five lap sprint for the re-start race using the race positions from the previous race to decide grid position which, once again, put Kenan on pole.
After another good start Kenan and Pata Honda’s Van der Mark were fighting for the top spot when Van der Mark fell at turn two of the track on the second lap, unfortunately Kenan followed suit on the next corner and, unlike Van der Mark, was unable to re-join the race. Fabien Foret had two consistent races finishing 4th in the EVO Championship in the first race and 3rd in the second race later on in the day. He finished 12th overall in the World Superbike standings in both races. The EVO bikes are proving to be very competitive with four machines finishing inside the top 12 in the World Superbike standings. The Mahi Kawasaki Racing Team will take to the track once again in round two of the Championship which takes place at Aragon, Spain on the 11th – 13th April.
Kenan Sofuoglu – Rider – World Supersport Championship
“This was not a good result for me. After two good starts and leading the pack in the first race and the re-start race I was very disappointed to crash. The bike felt good and I felt I could have reached the top step of the podium. I will be back again at Aragon and, as always, will be fighting for the win.”
Fabien Foret – Rider – World Superbike Evo Championship
“I am very happy with today’s results but felt I could improve. We are going to take the time between Phillip Island and Aragon to improve the bike further. I used the Phillip Island races as a further test for me to get used to the bike and feel I will be stronger and more competitive each time I ride my bike.”