Brno WSB: Sofuoglu the key to Laverty’s title bid

Parkalgar Honda Team Manager Simon Buckmaster believes that Ten Kate Honda man Kenan Sofuoglu could be the man to help Eugene Laverty close in on series leader Cal Crutchlow at this weekends World Supersport race at Brno.

Laverty currently trails Crutchlow by 28 points with five round remaining, which means that even if Laverty wins the remaining five races and Crutchlow finishes second, Crutchlow will still be crowned champion.

Buckmaster said:
“There are only three riders in with a chance at Brno and all it takes is one mistake or DNF and the Championship will be wide open again.

“Eugene and Cal are well ahead of the field this year. They have shared seven of the nine wins so far this season between them and are a league apart from the other racers.

“There is a chance that Ten Kate Honda’s Kenan Sofuoglu could be in the race for the victory as well. He is coming on strong as you’d expect of a former World Champion. Certainly, from Parkalgar Honda’s point of view we welcome him racing and hope he can help to take points away from Crutchlow and assist Eugene’s Championship challenge.”

During 2009 Sofuoglu has won two races, Qatar and Miller, but has lacked the consistency of Laverty and Crutchlow. In last weeks Imola test Sofuoglu benefited from a new specification Ohlins Andreani front fork and subsequently topped the time sheets on the final day.

He said:
“We completed a really satisfying test at Imola last week which left me feeling happy and confident. The first couple of races with the new suspension have been a little bit difficult because it is such a big change to make halfway through a season.
“We had two good days at Imola with perfect weather, which gave us the chance to test many things, including the new Ohlins forks. I like Brno and won there two years ago, so I want to do it again this weekend.”