Puccetti Kawasaki’s Kenan Sofuoglu took his third WorldSSP win a row at Donington Park this afternoon, leading the re-started race from lights to flag to close down championship leader Lucas Mahias by another five points.
Sofuoglu has won every race he has entered this year after missing the first three with a hand injury and the Turk was masterful again, controlling it from the front as Mathias and fellow Frenchman Jules Cluzel battled for the podium
Today’s clash was halted after four laps when Xavi Cardelus Garcia’s MV Agusta let go and left a trail of oil into Goddards with only the rider crashing out on it.
At the re-start, Sofuoglu got the holeshot and never looked back, fending off an early charge from Britain’s Luke Stapleford before settling down and pulling away with consistent lap times.
Cluzel and Mathias began a dice for third behind Stapleford’s Profile Triumph with team-mate Jack Kennedy in fifth place. It took Cluzel just a lap to pass the former British Supersport Champion and Mathias did the same a couple of corners later.
It was then an all-French battle for the lower podium spots with Yamaha’s Mathias going past for second with eight left to run while Kennedy was looking left and right for a place to stick a move on Stapleford.
It came with four left as the young Irishman rode around the outside into Foggy’s but lasted only two laps as Stapleford came back into fourth place and that is how it stayed until the flag.
Cluzel was also looking every which way and tried audacious moves into Foggy’s and the Melbourne Loop but it was not to be. Mathias crossed the line with a tenth of a second advantage but saw his championship lead cut to 30 points.
Sheridan Morais took sixth place ahead of Anthony West and Kyle Smith with Hikari Okobu and wildcard Joe Francis completing the top ten. Kyle Ryde and Gino Rea were next along. PJ Jacobsen didn’t take the re-start after an engine problem while British Supersport star David Allingham retired.
