HANNspree Ten Kate Honda dominated the World Supersport race once again today with another spectacular one-two finish. Kenan Sofuolgu secured his fourth race win of the 2007 series while temporary wingman Andrew Pitt crossed the finish line in second place. Returning rider Sébastien Charpentier put in an admirable performance to secure sixth position.
The majority of this afternoon's race was a fierce and incredibly close battle between the three HANNspree Ten Kate Honda riders, Fabien Foret and Broc Parkes. The five riders swapped places numerous times and for six of the 21 laps, the top three spots were held my Sofuoglu, Pitt and Charpentier.
On lap eight, Sofuoglu secured the lead and made it stick. The Turkish rider proceeded to open the gap between himself and the chasing pack with every lap, setting a new Assen record three times before securing his victory. The success leaves Sofuoglu with a 120-point lead in the standings - a huge 53 points ahead of nearest rival Fabien Foret.
With Sébastien Charpentier suffering after his month-long break, the fight for second place was between Pitt, Foret and Parkes. The Assen crowd enjoyed a thrilling display from the three riders, before Parkes crashed out on the penultimate lap. A mistake by Foret then enabled Pitt to pass the Frenchman and maintain station to secure a second podium finish for HANNspree Ten Kate Honda.
Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager:
"At the beginning of the race we were close to perfection with the three riders up at the front. Anyway, I am more than happy with the final result. Another first for Kenan is just splendid. This is actually the circuit where it all started last year when he delivered his first win. It just shows what a great racer he is becoming. Andrew did a perfect job for us yet again as the wingman. He had quite a big battle with Fabien Foret in the last laps but he got the second place for us. Sébastien was very brave at the beginning of the race, but towards the end he started to have some problems. However, he has shown how good his race pace is and in the next round he should be back on top form once again."
Kenan Sofuoglu:
"I am really, really happy! To get pole position yesterday was good, but most of the fast riders are back so I knew it would be a lot harder this weekend. I was expecting this race to be a difficult. I told myself in the beginning not to go hard straight away. I gave myself a chance to look who was coming up behind me and then I knew when to push a bit more. When I knew the riders were closing in behind me I thought 'ok, now I will go' and tried hard to open up the gap. I did my fastest lap time in lap 15 so I'm really pleased that. This is just such a good result - I got my first race win here at Assen and with it being the home track for the Ten Kate it is even more special - it just couldn't have been any better for me today!"
Sébastien Charpentier:
"Again after injury I have no power in my body. I had to ride my bike in the race holding on with my fingers and it was impossible for me to stay in the leading group. My body just said no after a while. I think I got the maximum we could today but I feel for everyone in the team who works so hard to give me a good bike."
Andrew Pitt:
"I'm really pleased - what a great result for the team and a great day overall! It was a tough race - I had a really good rhythm at the start and I just kept up at the front. Kenan's riding really well at the moment and I had a good time riding with him. I made him work for it a bit today, it wasn't so easy for him as in Valencia! I'm happy to be on the podium again and happy to be able to help the team out again."
Race results:
- 1. K. Sofuolgu, 36.04.418
- 2. A. Pitt, + 4.043
- 3. F. Foret, + 5.479
- 4. B. Veneman, + 8.140
- 5. D. Salom, + 8.900
- 6. S. Charpentier, + 11.090
- 7. D. Checa, + 14.847
- 8. V. Kallio, + 19.545
- 9. D. Giugliano, + 19.880
- 10. S. Martin, + 20.084
Championship standings:
- 1. K. Sofuoglu - 120
- 2. F. Foret - 67
- 3. K. Fujiwara - 43
- 4. A. Pitt - 40
- 5. R. Harms - 39
- 6. G. Nanelli - 30
- 7. B. Veneman - 30
- 8. M. Roccoli - 28
- 9. B. Parkes - 27
- 10. D. Salom - 27
