FIM Supersport World Championship
Circuito de Jerez, Spain
October 16, 2016
Race Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 19 laps, Total Race Time 33:22.362, Best Lap Time 1:44.379
2. Niki TUULI, Finland (Yamaha YZF-R6), -2.728 seconds, 1:44.355
3. Kyle SMITH, UK (Honda CBR600RR), -3.398, 1:44.832
4. PJ JACOBSEN, USA (Honda CBR600RR), -3.505, 1:44.949
5. Alessandro BASSANI, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -11.954, 1:45.087
6. Jules CLUZEL, France (MV Agusta F3 675), -12.058, 1:44.994
7. Illia MYKHALCHYK, Ukraine (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -13.510, 1:45.109
8. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (Honda CBR600RR), -13.628, 1:45.236
9. Christopher BERGMAN, Sweden (Honda CBR600RR), -19.854, 1:44.962
10. Lorenzo ZANETTI, Italy (MV Agusta F3 675), -20.210, 1:45.268
24. Braeden ORTT, Canada (Honda CBR600RR), -68.583, 1:47.482
World Championship Point Standings (after 11 of 12 races):
1. Sofuoglu, 196 points (clinched World Championship)
2. Krummenacher, 129
3. Cluzel, 126
4. Jacobsen, 122
5. Smith, 100
6. Gino Rea, 81
7. Badovini, 76
8. Federico Caricasulom 75
9. Alex Baldolini, 74
10. Tuuli, 60
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
WorldSSP: Sofuoglu Takes the Crown Five Laps In
Krmmenacher out of contention early on, while Bassani takes ESS Cup
Kenan Sofuoglu won the race at Jerez and was crowned the 2016 FIM Supersport World Champion just five laps in on Sunday at Jerez, after his Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Teammate Randy Krummenacher crashed out of contention for the title. Incredibly it is the first time a WorldSSP rider has won back-to-back titles since Sébastien Charpentier did it in 2005 and 2006. Sofuoglu is also now the only rider in history to win the WorldSSP Championship five times.
The Turkish rider defended the tough challenge by Kallio Racing Team’s Niki Tuuli and CIA Landlord Insurance Honda’s Kyle Smith, who tried everything they could to beat the Kawasaki Rider at his own game. But experience won out and they weren’t able to match his incredible pace. Tuuli finished second, Smith came home in third and Honda World Supersport Racing Team’s PJ Jacobsen finished in fourth after catching the podium finishers in the final laps.
Sofuoglu had the holeshot and led from the first corner, focussed only on winning his fifth title. Krummenacher who was running in second, attacked at every opportunity to get in front of Sofuoglu. The first few laps saw the lead switch between the two Kawasakis before Krummenacher became undone at turn 1 and slid out on lap five. He wasn’t able to continue and officially retired from the race on lap 9, with Sofuoglu automatically being declared Champion of WorldSSP for his second consecutive time.
Further down the order FIM Europe Supersport Cup leader Axel Bassani (San Carlo Team Italia) had a good start and was fighting for sixth position with Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Ayrton Badovini (GEMAR Balloons – Team Lorini). The young Italian was able to hold off his Supersport challengers and was able to finish in fifth, after Federico Caricasulo (BARDHAL Evan Bros. Honda Racing) crashed out in the final laps. By being the first ESS rider home, Bassani won the FIM Europe Supersport Cup.
Cluzel finished in sixth ahead of second-placed ESS rider Illia Mykhalchyk (DS Junior Team), with Badovini coming home in eighth. Christoffer Bergman (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) finished in ninth with Lorenzo Zannetti (GRT Racing) rounding out the top ten.
Third-placed ESS rider to finish was Alessandro Zaccone (San Carlo Team Italia) who placed 11th in the race overall, ahead of Xavier Pinsach (GEMAR Balloons –Team Lorini) in 12th. Hikari Okubo (CIA Landlord insurance Honda) finished in P13 with Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing) in 14th and Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) picking up a point in P15.
Thanks to Sofuoglu’s win, Kawasaki were named Manufacturers’ Champions of the WorldSSP category, joining their WorldSBK counterparts who won the Award on Saturday at Jerez.
Though the Championship has been decided, WorldSSP isn’t over just yet. The field now heads to Qatar for the final round of the 2016 season on the 28th to 30th of October.
Quotes from the top three riders:
1st Place
K.Sofuoglu (KAWASAKI): “This is special because it was also my dream at Magny Cours to win the race and win the championship. Being honest when I saw Randy and Tuuli behind me I just thought lets stay in third place but then when I saw that Randy had crashed and I thought, ‘Why can’t I win the race too, because I’m already the champion?’. Then I pushed the throttle, the last few laps were difficult and I’m so, so happy. I’ve won the race, won the championship and this is my fifth title, which was my goal. Honestly for my career I have reached my goal. Now I will ride the bike just because I enjoy it.”
2nd Place
N.Tuuli (YAMAHA): “It was really close. I got a good start and I tried the same as I did at Lausitzring, I thought if I could follow Kenan and Randy I could be on the podium. My feeling was really good and then I saw Randy crashed and I just had to follow Kenan. My feeling was really good riding behind Kenan. It was a really good race. On the last lap I missed a gear on the straight on braking, but I’m happy.”
3rd Place
K.Smith (HONDA): “It’s a podium and I have worked hard for this one. I have been struggling all season with the set-up in the dry conditions. This weekend we have made a lot of changes and we have picked up the pace slowly but surely. At one point I thought I had the pace to possibly even win. I tried going underneath Tuuli and lost the front. Once the front tyre dropped off it was just too risky to push and keep with the front two. Third position and I’m well happy with it.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Sofuoglu And Kawasaki Take Championship Wins At Jerez
The main prizes in the WorldSSP championship were awarded at the penultimate round in Jerez when Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) secured the Riders’ Championship and Kawasaki took the Manufacturers’ trophy. In the ESS category, which races within the WorldSSP rounds in Europe, Axel Bassani (San Carlo Team Italia Kawasaki) became the inaugural champion after scoring a fifth place in the combined results today.
This was the fifth Supersport World Championship win for all-time class great Sofuoglu, three of which have been achieved on Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R machinery. He has now scored 38 career wins, as part of 77 podiums in all.
Kenan had wanted to win the championship at the previous round in France by winning the race. He fell from the lead in that contest but got his wish of securing the championship via his race win today, from Niki Tuuli and Kyle Smith who were second and third on the podium respectively.
Kawasaki also made sure of the Manufacturers’ Championship after Sofuoglu took his sixth win of the season, the Japanese producer ending the day with an unassailable 48-point lead with one round remaining.
Despite crashing while leading on lap five, as he attempted to get away from the chasing Tuuli and Sofuoglu, Randy Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) got going again to try and fight all the way to the end.
Randy was forced to retire shortly afterwards but he is still second in the championship, three points ahead of the next closest rider.
Bassani’s race today saw him lead the chasing pack, some way behind the top four, when it mattered, scoring 11 points and eventually ending his year with a 16 point advantage over his nearest competitor. The first four riders home in the ESS championship all rode Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R machines.
The last round of the regular championship will take place in Losail, Qatar, on Sunday 30 October.
Kenan Sofuoglu, stated: “I am so proud to have won my fifth championship and I have to say a special thanks to Kawasaki. Some years ago they gave me a good package and good support and since that time I have enjoyed racing a lot more. Then I found the Puccetti Racing team two years ago and this is my second title with them in succession. To do that is incredible and we have won many races. At the beginning of this year I did not know what would happen but we won the championship one race early. Racing is not difficult but fighting for championships is difficult. Today, when I saw that Randy had crashed I thought that because I was already champion, I could go on to try and win the race. It was my dream to do that at Magny Cours but I achieved it here. Luck was with me today and together with our good potential and good performance, we won the title again.”
Randy Krummenacher, stated: “I felt very strong in the race and felt a step stronger than those around me. When I got in front I thought if I pushed a little bit more, not too much, then things would be easier today. I was excited, maybe a bit too much, because I lost the front very quick and it was a bit of a surprise. I want to look forward and do well in Qatar. The bike feels good and I cannot wait until the final round. I want to say thanks to Kawasaki and well done for the Manufacturers’ Championship. Congratulations today to Kenan. He did a great job and he really deserves to be champion.”
Steve Guttridge, Kawasaki Europe Racing Manager, stated: “Kenan winning yet another Supersport title for Kawasaki within the fantastic Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team is a dream come true. He’s had some very tough times but always he is a true professional, with unrivalled determination to achieve the goal. So a big congratulations from Kawasaki goes to both Kenan and his team again this season.”
Shigemi Tanaka, Kawasaki Europe: “It is very important and valuable for us at KHI that Kawasaki accomplished the same feat as last season, taking Manufacturer titles in both WorldSBK and WorldSSP championships and highlighting the excellence of Kawasaki Heavy Industries products because WorldSBK and WorldSSP bikes are both based on production bikes.”
Axel Bassani, stated: “It was great to win this championship because it was not easy at the start and I had to fight to become better and better. At the end of the season, at Magny Cours and here, I got close to the top and the regular riders and I am happy about that. I destroyed a bike in a crash yesterday and the team had to rebuild a bike for me, so I am happy to take this result and the championship win. Many thanks to all involved.”
Behind the front-runners Illia Mikhalchik (DS Junior Team Kawasaki) was seventh today and his fellow ESS rider Alessandro Zaccone (San Carlo Team Italia Kawasaki) 11th. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) was the last Kawasaki rider to score a point, in 15th place. Christian Gamarino (Team GOELEVEN Kawasaki) was 16th and Ondrej Jezek (Team GOELEVEN Kawasaki) 18th.
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
Jacobsen only one tenth of a second away from podium at Jerez
Round 11 – Spain
Circuito de Jerez, Spain
PJ Jacobsen (Honda WorldSSP Team) has finished one tenth of a second away from a podium finish in today’s FIM Supersport World Championship race at ‘Circuito de Jerez’. The 23-year-old from Montgomery, New York, crossed the line fourth behind fellow Honda rider Kyle Smith at the end of a solid 19-lap encounter around the 4.423 km fast-flowing Spanish venue.
Jacobsen got a good launch off the third row of the grid, making up two places as the WorldSSP field attacked the first turns of the race. After Krummenacher crashed out of the lead on lap five, Jacobsen was promoted to fourth and, together with Smith, he was able to bridge the gap to the front. When the Briton had a moment in front of him, the two lost touch with the leading duo but kept the battle alive for third.
The young American closed in on his rival during the last lap, although not enough to try one last move for the third step of the podium. With one race left in the season, which will be contested at the Losail International Circuit in a fortnight’s time, Jacobsen is still fourth in the standings but now only seven points away from the runner up spot.
Patrick Jacobsen 2
4th
Today was OK, and a lot more positive compared to how things went prior to the race. Still, I’m not entirely happy because I struggled to find enough grip, so I could not ride the bike like I wanted. I wasn’t able to make up more places and in the end, I simply couldn’t make a pass to get me on the podium. Nevertheless, I’m happy with our championship position: we closed in on Krummenacher and Cluzel so we’re within a shot of the runner up spot in the title race. In Qatar we’ll give it all to try and make it happen, so I can’t wait to get back on track.
Pieter Breddels
Technical Manager
We tried new things this morning and after the warm up we had a long debrief with PJ to make sure we were ready for the race. Things got better, but we decided to make a further adjustment to the set-up in order to find more grip. PJ got a reasonably good start and he quickly made his way up to fourth place, but he kind of went back and forth with Kyle Smith for most of the race and in the end it was just not enough to take third. Considering how things went in the first two days, this is definitely not a bad result. Moreover, we are only four and seven points away from second and third places, respectively, so the battle for the runner-up spot is not over yet.