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HANNspree Ten Kate Honda >> Sofuoglu focuses on final three races

September 01 2010

Ten Kate Racing - Nieuwsbrief

After a month-long break from the action, the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda World Supersport championship riders get back on their Honda CBR600RRs this weekend (3-5 September) for round 11 of the 2010 series.

Kenan Sofuoglu and Michele Pirro took the opportunity to loosen up during a one-day test at the team’s local circuit at Assen in the Netherlands yesterday. For Pirro, it was his first time back on track since his high-speed crash at Brno in the Czech Republic on 11 July. Sofuoglu, who celebrated his 26th birthday a week ago, currently leads the World Supersport championship by 17 points over fellow Honda rider, Eugene Laverty. The Turkish ace, knows that he will need to maintain his remarkable consistency over the final three races of the season – starting in Germany this weekend – to realise his dream of regaining the title he won in 2007.

Pirro, too, is targeting a top result at Nurburgring to match his only World Supersport podium to date, which he secured back in March at Portimao in Portugal. The 24-year-old Italian sustained facial injuries and a dislocated wrist in his Brno crash and, despite some pain from the wrist during yesterday’s Assen test, he is confident of playing a significant role in this weekend’s proceedings.

Kenan Sofuoglu
It has been a long break, but I am feeling rested and fit; now we are ready for the last three important races of this season. My team has been working hard during the holiday period and we will work together for another win this weekend. Although it has been a consistent season, we have to keep pushing for more wins because the pressure will be there right until the final race. Nurburgring is not my favourite circuit and it was not good for me last year. I qualified OK but I crashed out of second place when the rain fell and I had to retire a few laps later. Obviously I want a better result that that this weekend, and the target is to win again.

Michele Pirro
My body feels much better now after the crash and it was good that we had this test at Assen because it gave me a chance to ride the bike for the first time since Brno. There was no pressure – just me and the bike. I’ve been working hard on my physiotherapy in the last few weeks, but there was still a little pain which I hope will be less at the weekend. Nurburgring, is a circuit that I like very much. I like the fast corners there, but the first one is a little bit difficult in the first laps of the race because it is so slow. I qualified OK there last year but in the race I crashed after five or six laps. I’m looking forward to the weekend very much but this time it’s very important to have a good weekend because there are only three races left.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager
Kenan was quite fast at the test yesterday and it was good to get both riders back on their bikes after a long break. We had a few new bits and pieces to test and these certainly seem to have improved the overall package. Yesterday was also good for Michele to get back after his Brno crash. His wrist is still painful but after a couple more days rest and some treatment in the Clinica Mobile at Nurburgring, he should be good to go, too.

HANNspree Ten Kate Honda is sponsored by Hotbodies Racing and uses our windscreens and bodywork on all of their bikes. Hotbodies Racing specializes in manufacturing high-performance parts for high-performance sportbikes and is the market leader in Windscreens, Undertails, Huggers, Flush-Mount Signals, MGP and Megaphone Exhausts, and full-race Bodywork.  Hotbodies Racing supports the sport with sponsorships around the world, and encourages dealer and distributor inquiries.  For more information visit: www.hotbodiesracing.com