Courtesy of KRT – Kawasaki Racing Team
Recently crowned World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) took his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R to second place in the 15-lap floodlit race at Losail in Qatar, finishing less than a second from the race winner Kyle Smith (Honda). Kenan’s runner-up spot ensured that Kawasaki would win the Manufacturers’ Championship in WSS with the Ninja ZX-6R.
Kenan led for eight laps and also had to fight off the attentions of third places rider Lorenzo Zanetti (MV Agusta) to take what was his ninth podium of the season. Kenan took five race victories in 2015 and ended his season with a winning advantage of 37 points.
From the start Kenan took the holeshot and tried to push clear but he was dragged back into a three rider battle, which then became four as Smith came through to lead. On what proved to be a less than optimum choice of a harder tyre set-up than most of his rivals Sofuoglu was unable to make a final push take him to and past Smith at the flag.
Kenan ended the season with a points total of 233, and points scoring finishes in all 12 races.
Marco Faccani (San Carlo Puccetti Racing Kawasaki) was ninth in Qatar, Dominic Schmitter (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) 11th. Christian Gamarino (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) crashed out of contention on lap seven.
Kenan Sofuoglu: “We are a little disappointed not to win the race but the good thing is that Kawasaki has won the Manufacturers’ title. That was the main goal and I am very happy for the team and for Kawasaki. The lap times that we saw here with the soft tyre in practice were incredible, but we thought the harder tyre would be better around Doha for 15 laps. It seems everybody else used the soft tyres bar me and one other rider. It was a big mistake to use the hard tyre because at the beginning of the race I could not push like I wanted and I could not go away after seven or eight laps. But no problem, we achieved our targets this year.”
ASC - Action Sports Connection 