Photo: Kawasaki
Kenan Sofuoglu will miss the first two races of the World Supersport series due to a hand injury.
Sofuoglu, who’s dominated World Supersport racing in recent years (five championships since 2007, including 2016), would have been a favourite for a repeat win aboard his Kawasaki in 2017. The next-closest rider in the standings last year was MV Agusta’s Jules Cluzel, who had 142 points to Sofuoglu’s 216 points. At this point, the combination of Sofuoglu and Kawasaki seems to be unbeatable, giving Team Green a chokehold on both the World Superbike and World Supersport titles.
However, the Turkish supersport ace has had consider trouble with the thumb on his right hand. He’s had problem with the thumb dislocating and touching his other hand bones — obviously a bad thing when you’re relying on your hand for braking and throttle control. At the recent Phillip Island test, he was riding around with mismatched gloves, requiring an oversized gauntlet to fit over his injury.
The problem isn’t going away, so Sofuoglu is going home for ligament surgery, hoping to be ready for the Aragon round, missing the first two rounds. It’s certainly a bad piece of luck for him, but it’s possibly a good chance for another rider to jump out to a good start in the standings. Whether or not the competition can hang on once Sofuoglu gets rolling is another question …
