Sofuoglu wins in Portugal as Pirro takes debut podium Kenan Sofuoglu won the second round World Supersport race at Portimao

Kenan Sofuoglu won today’s thrilling second round World Supersport race at Portimao in Portugal by the slender margin of three hundredths of a second from Spain’s Joan Lascorz. Sofuoglu’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Michele Pirro, was third.

Sofuoglu, who finished third at the season opener in Australia, started the 20-lap race around the undulating 4.592km Portimao circuit in relatively conservative fashion, circulating the early laps in fourth place; this despite setting a new circuit best lap during the morning warm-up.

The 25-year-old Turk, began his move to the front in the second half of the race, passing first his team-mate, and then Lascorz and finally race leader, Eugene Laverty, on successive laps into Portimao’s first corner.

After Laverty crashed out of third place, Sofuoglu held off a determined challenge from Lascorz, extending his record tally of World Supersport wins to 15 and taking a one-point championship lead as Pirro took a lonely third place, nine seconds back.

It was the 23-year-old Italian’s first World Supersport podium in his debut year with the Hannspree Ten Kate team, and Pirro underlined his winning potential by setting a new Portimao lap record early in the race.

Kenan Sofuoglu – winner
I’m so happy to win this race because the competition is so tight this year, but the good thing is that my bike is really strong this year, too! Yesterday in qualifying, my crew asked me how was the bike and I replied that there was only one problem: I was not good enough for it! I promised them that today I would show the potential of the CBR600RR and already in warm-up this morning I set a new best lap. I took it a bit easy in the beginning of the race, and then pushed in the last part to take the lead. Lascorz was very strong in the last laps but I held on because I really wanted this win. I was disappointed after Phillip Island, so this victory is really important and I want to give big, big thanks to the team.

Michele Pirro – third
It’s my first podium in Supersport so I am really, really happy! The team has worked really hard all weekend to give me a bike with so much potential and, after the two disappointments of the race in Australia, I am also very happy for the team. I want to thank them for all their work and the next time we will try even more for a better result in maybe first or second position. So, I look forward very much to Valencia and the next race.

Ronald Ten Kate – team manager
We are very happy with this result! The win for Kenan, with Michele joining him for his first Supersport podium in third was underlined by a new best lap for Kenan in warm-up and a new lap record for Michele in the race. There was a great fight between Kenan and Joan Lascorz in the last laps and it was a small margin in the end. But it’s doesn’t really matter about the margin – it’s just good to see that the whole team and both riders have winning potential, and we’re looking forward to Valencia already.

2010 World Supersport championship – round 2
Portimao, Portugal (4.592km – 20 laps) – results:
1. Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 35’21.143s
2. Joan Lascorz (ESP) Kawasaki +0.031s
3. Michele Pirro (ITA) Hannspree ten Kate Honda +8.879s
4. Chaz Davies (GBR) Triumph +15.270s
5. Fabien Foret (FRA) Kawaskai +22.096s
6. Katsuaki Fujiwara (JPN) Kawasaki +23.041s

Championship points after two of 13 rounds:
1 Sofuoglu 41, 2 Lascorz 40, 3 Eugene Laverty (IRL) Honda 30, 4 Foret 22, 9 Pirro 16.