Sofuoglu Hails Positive Test
Three-time WSS Champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki San Carlo Puccetti Racing) took his first steps toward the 2015 WSS season at the Motorland Aragon circuit on 17 and 18 November, evaluating the latest machine developments to take to the next tests in Jerez next week.
Track time was limited on day one but in working between two specifications of engine set-up Sofuoglu set a high number of laps on the second day and posted positive lap times around the MotoGP version of the Motorland track layout.
The use of this version of the long Motorland circuit prevented any direct comparison of lap times with the same track layout Kenan won the 2014 WSS race on while riding a Ninja ZX-6R, but the team was pleased with both the pace and consistency shown by man and machine in this first test.
Kenan and the team are set to test again soon, on Monday and Tuesday of next week another popular Spanish circuit, Jerez de la Frontera.
Kenan Sofuoglu: “The test was very positive and gave us more than I expected. There was a big moment for us because there were two different kinds of package to test for the 2015 season, but it was a difficult choice to make because they were both good. We will continue testing in Jerez next week. On the personal side this first test towards the 2015 season gave me a great motivation. The old season is finished so now everybody has zero points and I feel a lot of confidence on the bike. I think our lap times were a good surprise for us because we did not expect to be able to make good lap times easily and consistently. I think this will be a good first step. Because we used the GP track layout at Motorland it was difficult to compare speeds or lap times, but from what we can see on the data we are faster than we were before. I think the whole package looks like it is working very well and most importantly I am back on the bike with great motivation. I am starting from zero again and I feel very strong. I did so many laps at this test and enjoyed the way it went.”
Manuel Puccetti: Team Manger: “The Motorland Aragon test was a very good one for Kenan. He tried many different configurations on the bike and set a very good lap time. The team had a lot of work to do as he completed 150 laps over the two days. The team and Kenan enjoyed a very good and consistent winter test at Motorland and next week we will continue with another Spanish test over two days at Jerez.”