After the first five rounds of the season reigning champion Sofuoglu is ready to make another push for the top step of the podium, having won the most recent events at Assen and Imola.
Three enforced no scores in the first three rounds, through injury and then the actions of another rider, leave Sofuoglu fourth overall at present. He is only eight points from second place despite his early bad luck as he attempts to add to his record of 40 career race wins this weekend in the UK. Kenan has a good record at Donington Park, and has won both the most recent WorldSSP races held at the 4.023km venue in England.
Sofuoglu’s record of five championship wins is the most obvious measure of his overall dominance of this branch of the sport but he also has the all-time records for podium places (80), pole positions (31), front row starts (96), fastest laps (28) and total championship points (1,935).
At a home round, and at a circuit where he had already recorded a WorldSSP podium as a wildcard in 2015, Ryde is looking for his first top three since becoming an official Kawasaki rider this season.
Having been as high in the championship as fourth after the first three rounds, a 12th at Assen and a no-score at Imola, now see Kyle seventh in the championship, but only five points from the top five.
The competitive nature of the Donington Park race weekend will be as strong as ever but the action will be conducted against a backdrop of collective sadness after the loss of top WorldSBK competitor and 2006 MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden, who recently passed away in hospital after a cycle accident in Italy. The entire Kawasaki effort in WorldSSP racing offers its condolences to Nicky’s family and friends at this difficult time.
Once the Donington Park round has been completed seventh round of the championship will take place at Misano, in Italy, with raceday on Sunday 18th June. With no WorldSSP race during the Laguna Seca WorldSBK weekend, there will be a summer break of eight weekends before the subsequent round in Germany, on 20th August.
Kenan Sofuoglu, stated: “We are going to Donington next and it is a good track for me and the bike. Since I joined Kawasaki I have been fast at Donington and I think the bike likes it there. For me it is also a nice track layout to ride. I am not sure what the weather forecast is but I hope that it is going to be good. It is not a problem either way, wet or dry, but it is not going to be an easy weekend given the circumstances.”
Kyle Ryde, stated: “At Donington I feel confident that I can take a good step compared to last couple of races. I got a third place here two years ago, and there is some pressure on me to do same thing again. I have been there or thereabouts all year so there is no reason why I cannot be able to compete at Donington. The team have got their heads around the set-up of the bike on the opening day of practice but it is just me right now. I think Donington will be the place where I can make a step as I know the track better than any other one. If I do the job properly on the opening day it should make the rest of the weekend easier.”
Michael Canducci (3570 Puccetti Racing FMI Kawasaki) is a convincing 11th in the points after scoring four times out of five races, including a strong fifth place at the Spanish round in April.
Kazuki Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) is 18th, Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) 21st and ESS rider Rob Hartog (Team Hartog Jenik Against Cancer Kawasaki) 22nd.
Lachlan Epis (Response RE Racing Kawasaki) is 23rd overall, Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) 27th and Gino Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) is on the score sheet after some early bad luck this year.