The tangible reward Sofuoglu left Australia with was the honour of being the first winner of the Superbike-style two-part Superpole contest in WSS. He is heading to Thailand for the second of 13 rounds in the 2016 season determined to get his championship challenge back on track in all possible ways, as he goes for what would be career win number 33.
For Krummenacher his round one victory, in his first ever race in the global Supersport series, was an instant positive confirmation of his decision to join the championship winning Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Team. The experienced Moto2 rider is out to defend his early championship lead at the Chang International Circuit, near the town of Buriram, this coming weekend.
The 4.554km venue will be a new venue for the otherwise well-travelled Krummenacher, but last year Sofuoglu was second after the end of the inaugural WSS race meeting in Thailand.
Randy Krummenacher stated: “After Australia I feel great and full of power. I am really confident and I want to stay strong for this round. The track in Thailand is new for me but I have studied the layout and it looks nice. It will suit me I am sure and I have never had a problem learning new tracks. It is nice to race on a different track and I like the new adventure. After my win in Australia I was a bit more busy than normal and now more people recognize that I am riding in a different championship from before. The more races I do like Australia the better things will be.”
Kenan Sofuoglu stated: “We lost out on the chance of 25 points in Australia because it was clear we could win the race. I know we will be very strong in Thailand because last year we had a pole position and then second in the race. We have a nice combination and we should be very strong there. It is a good track for us but it will not be easy because it will be very hot. I hope I can continue my season with good points in Thailand because at the moment we will have it come from behind.”
GO Eleven Kawasaki WSS riders Christian Gamarino and Ondrej Jezek will once again compete on track, alongside Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) and his team-mate Nacho Calero. Young Kawasaki rider Lachlan Epis from the Response RE Team will take part in his second WSS race of the season this coming weekend.