The 2015 World Supersport Championship continued this past weekend at the historic Assen TT Circuit in the Netherlands.The battle for Supersport supremacy came down to the final corner of the Assen TT track, with three-time WSS Champion Kenan Sofuoglu edging out Jules Cluzel. The two were battling so intensely that Sofuoglu’s Kawasaki Puccetti Racing ZX-6R Ninja actually collided with Cluzel’s MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 on the final chicane.
Sofuoglu would beat the pole-man Cluzel to the checkered flag by 0.879 of a second. This was the Turkish rider’s 29th World Supersport win, and second-straight win including his victory at Aragon. Sofuoglu now has 80 points, and leads America’s PJ Jacobsen (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) by 25.“In the last few laps I really pushed and pushed and reached almost the qualifying lap time with a 15-lap old tyre but Cluzel was still following me. I knew in the last lap he would try to pass. Anyway, we won the race, took the 25 points, and we deserved to win. The bike worked very well, Pirelli brought good tires, and they too worked well,” Sofuoglu says.“The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team is giving me a very good package and the Kawasaki support is always there. I am very happy to win for Kawasaki, for the second time this year and we have very good points for the championship. It looks like we are getting stronger and stronger.”Taking the final podium position of the 18-lap race was Pata Honda World Supersport’s Kyle Smith, who won a duel with Jacobsen. Smith led the opening two laps, but was eventually beat by Sofuoglu and Cluzel. Regardless, this was his third-podium finish.Roberto Rolfo (Team Lorini) in his 21st year of racing finished fifth ahead of Cluzel’s teammate Lorenzo Zanetti. Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres’ Lucas Mahias finished a lonely seventh. ahead of Marco Faccani (San Carlo Puccetti Racing), Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) and Riccardo Russo (CIA Landlords Insurance Honda).The series now breaks for three weeks before heading to Italy’s Imola May 10 for round five.
This week we ride two genre-departing motorcycles from the established American manufacturers. Jess McKinley gives us his thoughts on the all new Harley-Davidson Pan America Special, and Ron Lieback gives his on Indian’s latest version of the FTR 1200 S.
