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WSS, Imola, ITALY, 13 Maggio 2017

Sofuoglu On Second Row After Imola Superpole

A fifth place finish for Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in the second Superpole qualifying session for the WorldSSP riders at Imola sees him start the 17 lap race on Sunday from the second row. Kyle Ryde, his young British team-mate was ninth in Superpole.

Turkish superstar Sofuoglu made a less than perfect tyre choice for his Superpole run, which was the main factor in taking a rare second row starting position, rather than commencing a race from the front row as he usually does. He had been fastest in the combined qualifying times before Superpole started this afternoon.
 
Kenan may not have been able to increase his record tally of 31 Superpole wins at this level today, but he feels he will have good race pace to go for what would be his 40th career race win in WorldSSP.
 
Despite falling hard in FP3, Ryde ignored his painful right shoulder and elbow in Superpole 1 to qualify for Superpole 2, and then take a third row grid spot. He would have been even better placed but for losing his very best lap time after inadvertently running out of the bounds of the track in one corner. Kyle was still the second fastest Kawasaki rider today.
 
Kenan Sofuoglu, stated: “I am disappointed with that Superpole session as I was in some confusion about which tyre to use and I think I made the wrong choice for qualifying. But the most important thing is the race tomorrow. I will look, with the team, at what we can do for the race because I think we still need to improve some things on the settings. It will be an interesting race and of course my motivation will be higher than today. For sure I will try to win the race again.”
 
Kyle Ryde, stated: “I got through to Superpole 2 and at the time I thought that’s it, day done - I was happy at that. Then Kenan said to me as we went out again to follow him. I did two laps behind him, one of which would have put me sixth on the grid - but I ran out of track and over the kerb. They cut that lap time so luckily I got another lap, in and I was finally ninth. I know I could have been on the second row so now I need to get a start like did at Assen, when I was fourth on the first lap, and I should be there or thereabouts.”
 
ESS rider Rob Hartog (Team Hartog Jenik Against Cancer Kawasaki) placed 15th, Gino Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 19th. Kazuki Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) was 21st and Michael Canducci (3570 Puccetti Racing FMI Kawasaki) slotted in 22nd on the grid at his home round.
 
Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) was 25th and Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) 27th. Lachlan Epis (Response RE Racing Kawasaki) finished up Saturday 30th from 36 riders on the grid.