Following an eventful eighth round of the 2007 World Supersport Championship, HANNspree Ten Kate Honda's Kenan Sofuoglu leaves Misano with his series lead intact. The Turkish rider's tally now stands at 161 points - 61 points clear of second place rider Fabien Foret. Today's 22-lap race was split into two halves after a bike blow out at the end of the start/finish straight during lap four caused the contest to be red flagged. The riders re-started the race with 18 laps remaining and the combined times from the two heats determined the final finishing positions.
Sofuoglu started the second heat from third on the grid and fought incredibly hard to keep his position in the leading pack. With Anthony West leading, Sofuoglu entered into a battle for second position against Broc Parkes. Although the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider eventually won the tussle, Parkes was awarded second place on aggregate with Sofuoglu in third. He picked up 16 valuable points to further extend his championship lead.
Team-mate Sébastien Charpentier's run of bad luck continued as he struggled with the grip on his choice of softer tyre. The Frenchman passed the chequered flag in tenth position on aggregate, however the result sees him collect six all-important points to climb to fifteenth in the overall standings.
Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager:"This is another good result for Kenan, especially when you look at the championship standings. It's a pity that the gap had already been made in the first four laps before the race was red flagged. He was already three seconds behind, which made it very difficult for him to win the race. He did remarkably well in the second half to try to overtake Broc Parkes to take the second position. With Sébastien we made a gamble on the softer tyre and this didn't work out at all. Luckily, we are testing now at Brno and we can dial his bike in ready for the next race because the position he is in today is clearly not where he should be."
Kenan Sofuoglu:"This was a really tough race. The conditions were so hot and to choose a good set up with the tyres was very difficult. In the second half I was pushing at my limit but the gap was already there from the first four laps and it was impossible for me to make that up. I feel like we had a good set-up and I was making good lap times, but it was just too hard for me here. Anyway, I am leaving with the lead so I am happy with that."
Sébastien Charpentier:"Today has been very difficult. The first half of the race was really bad. I am not completely confident and I lost a lot of time. After the red flag, the second start was ok. We kept the tyres the same and after six or seven laps the grip started to go. It was hard for me to follow the group. Because the grip in the rear was less, I pushed harder in the front and that caused the grip in the front to go as well. I finished the race with no grip at all so there was no possibility of me finishing in a good position. We are testing in Brno soon and I hope it goes well for me because for the moment iit is not easy for me weekend after weekend."
Aggregate Race Results:1. A West 36'47.866
2. B Parkes + 4.197
3. K Sofuoglu + 4.340
4. M Roccoli + 15.123
5. R Harms + 18.429
6. S Sanna + 18.741
7. J Fores + 18.915
8. K Fujiwara + 25.082
9. G Vizziello + 30.240
10. S Charpentier + 31.633
Championship Standings: 1. K Sofuoglu 161
2. F Foret 100
3. K Fujiwara 77
4. R Harms 70
5. A West 66
6. B Veneman 50
7. B Parkes 47
8. M Roccoli 46
9. G Nannelli 43
10. A Pitt 40
15. S Charpentier 29
Related News
