World Supersport Championship Round seven: Silverstone, UK Sunday 27 May 2007 Race report Sofuoglu maintains lead at Silverstone The rain poured down at Silverstone today for the seventh round of the 2007 World Supersport Championship. The wet weather made riding conditions treacherous as seven riders – including HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s Kenan Sofuoglu – crashed out of the 28-lap race. Sofuoglu’s team-mate Sébastien Charpentier retired from the contest after eight laps. Sofuoglu secured a good start to the race and took an early lead, only to crash out almost immediately at the first corner when he lost the rear end of the bike. Despite this, the Turkish rider still maintains an impressive lead in the championship with 145 points – 45 points clear of nearest rival Fabien Foret. Team-mate Charpentier struggled to get to grips with his CBR600RR in the wet conditions and was forced to retire from the race a third of the way through. He is now placed eighteenth in the overall standings. The adverse weather caused the race to be stopped on the 22nd lap after it was deemed too dangerous for the remaining riders to continue. Anthony West took the victory, followed by Robbin Harms and Katsuaki Fujiwara Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “Race day hasn’t given us what we were hoping for after the brilliant performance of the riders yesterday. For sure this sport was not invented to be carried out in these conditions, but in the end there has got to be a winner. Kenan was unlucky today. His feeling on the bike was really good during the sighting and warm up laps, but then he lost it immediately after the start of the race. It’s a pity, but he was maybe pushing a bit too hard. Sébastien just couldn’t get a good feeling on the bike. So that’s it. We pack up here as championship leaders and move on to the next race.” Kenan Sofuoglu: “I have worked very hard this weekend and I was fast on Friday, Saturday and in the warm-up today. I had a great feeling on the bike in the warm up lap so I felt really positive on the grid and was thinking that I had a good chance to get on the podium or even win. But then it all went wrong on the first corner, I just lost the rear of the bike. I think the problem was that I went too fast in the warm up lap and my tyres warmed up and then cooled down while I was on the grid. Anyway, it would have been better to stay on the bike but some things are not meant to be. I am still leading so I am happy” Sébastien Charpentier: “The positive point about today is the good results we had during qualifying. This is really important for me because I think we have reached a good place with the bike, which I hope will stay for the rest of the season. I want to be able to finish the championship in a good position and also help out my team-mate. I just had very bad luck again in the race – after about eight laps I think everyone in the team preferred me to stop because I just had no feeling and no grip in the front and rear. The conditions were so bad on track. Anyway, I hope the next race is better.” Race results: 1. Anthony West 39’16.245 2. Robin Harms + 33.477 3. K. Fujiwara + 48.057 4. Fabien Foret + 51.777 5. G. Vizziello + 54.295 6. M. Lagrive + 1’01.579 7. J. Fores + 1’37.576 8. L. Alfonsi + 1’52.106 9. J. Enjolras + 1’53.184 10. B. Veneman + 1 lap – K. Sofuoglu DNF – S. Charpentier DNF Championship standings: 1. K. Sofuoglu 145 2. F. Foret 100 3. K. Fujiwara 69 4. R. Harms 59 5. B. Veneman 47 6. G. Nannelli 43 7. A. West 41 8. A. Pitt 40 9. D. Salom 34 9. L. Alfonsi 34 18. S. Charpentier 23