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HANNspree Ten Kate Honda >> Ten Kate Supersport riders aiming high in Portugal

March 26 2010

Ten Kate Racing - Nieuwsbrief

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda riders, Kenan Sofuoglu and Michele Pirro, head to Portimao in Portugal for this weekend’s (26-28 March) second World Supersport championship race of the 2010 season.

Like most other riders, the Honda CBR600RR-mounted duo are both fans of the 4.592km Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, having been seduced by its roller-coaster combination of 15 turns and dramatic changes in elevation.

Sofuoglu won the first World Supersport race at the brand new circuit in 2008 and finished second last season. The Turkish rider was forced to sit out a January test, however, after sustaining a broken ankle in a training accident. The 25-year-old opened his 2010 account with a podium finish at Phillip Island but is aiming higher this weekend.

His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Pirro, endured a dramatic season opener in Australia. Having qualified alongside Sofuoglu on the front row of the grid, both Ten Kate riders crashed on another rider’s oil, which caused the race to be restarted. Pirro was able to return to the pits for the restart but was forced out of a likely podium finish when his rear tyre deflated after 13 laps.

Kenan Sofuoglu
We had quite a big tyre problem in Australia and, at the time, I was very disappointed with the result. But, after a few days back at home, I was happy, because if we can achieve a solid podium finish like that with the problems we had there, then we can do even better at other circuits. So we will go to Portimao to get at least another podium but, of course, our plan is to win the race. Unfortunately, I couldn’t test there in January because of my broken ankle, but I have been working hard on my fitness and feel good now. I know the bike is good, too, and I have been with the guys at the workshop in Holland to see the work they have been doing. We have some new electronics to use at Portimao, so I am looking forward to the weekend.

Michele Pirro
In Australia, we were very unlucky because two absurd things happened in the race. First there was the oil from the rider in front of me that caused me to crash, then in the second part of the race there was a problem with my rear tyre, which just deflated when I was in another good position. Until the race, I was very happy with my first race weekend with the team. We worked hard through the practice and qualifying sessions to get a front row starting position, but then the race was two different stories – neither of them very good. I am really looking forward to a weekend in Portimao without these misadventures and, if everything is OK, I think we could be fighting for the leading positions again and get a good result.

Ronald ten Kate – team-manager
Phillip Island was, all in all, a bit of a disappointment for the team, especially Michele. However, now we head for a new race at Portimao, where we have had two good tests over the winter and the speed that both riders showed at Phillip Island showed that we can be fighting for podium positions, if not race wins. Between the two races we have fine-tuned the package a little more, especially focusing on power delivery and rideability, so I believe we’re well-prepared for the challenging Portimao circuit.

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 North American distribution of KR Tuned performance parts. Hotbodies Racing is the market leader in Undertails, Huggers, Windscreens, Flush-Mount Signals, Megaphone Exhausts and full-race Bodywork. Hotbodies Racing supports the sport with sponsorship around the world and encourages dealer and distributor inquiries. For more information visit: www.HOTBODIESRACING.com.