ROUND 11/SEPTEMBER 15, 2013
INTERCITY ISTANBUL PARK/ISTANBUL, TURKEY
WORLD SUPERBIKE
P90
WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
Laverty was perfect
on the day, scoring
50 points for his two
victories and moving
into championship
contention.
WORLD SUPERSPORT - THE MAIN EVENT
It's not often that the World Supersport upstarts usurp the established
top players in the World Superbike
paddock, but at Kenan Sofuoglu's
home track that is exactly what happened.
The previously subdued and half
empty feel of the Istanbul track, even
on a much busier race day than any
practice day, was replaced by raucous
partisan support for Mahi Racing
Team India rider Sofuoglu. And even
that went off the scale as the Turkish
hero was lifted shoulder high after
his win, by the force and frenzy of the
crowd, as he tried to make it to the
paddock show press conference.
His family and friends were in the
pit garage for the first time and went
as wild as the crowd when Kenan won
at home – a true fairytale ending that
Lowes could not grudge him one bit.
It was a good, adrenaline-laden
clean fight and although Sofuoglu
once more conceded the championship, we ain't quite done yet.
Once order, or some form of it, was
restored Sofuoglu explained how he
managed to come back to win in a
race that at one time looked like championship leader Sam Lowes' personal
property.
"To win my home race was just
incredible," Sofuoglu said. "There
were so many people supporting me
I just had to bring the Turkish flag to
the front. I tried everything so I am
so happy for them as well. On the
last two laps the goal was just to win
this race because winning in Turkey
is something like winning the title
for me. This was the first time I have
raced at a home track after 12 years
of competition in Europe. Winning the
race is something like a dream for us
in Turkey."
Sofuoglu just kept pressing and
eventually passed Lowes, but they
rode together for most of the end
of the race, putting in passes until
Sofuoglu got ahead at the right point,
pushed and defended all at once and
held Lowes off by a crowd-pleasing,
.040 of a second.
"I have been first or second in
every race and I rode a good hard
race today," Lowes said after the race.
"I knew if I led into the last complex
it would be hard anyway and I knew
he would defend his line in the last
corner so I thought I would have a go
and beat him to the line. I had gone
out there to try and win the race. I
