After putting an end to Sam Lowes' (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) 4-race winning streak to an end, Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki) is looking for a repeat performance this weekend at Moscow Raceway. The defending Champion came out victorious of last year's Russian round, crossing the line a lonely first ahead of former PTR Honda rider, now WSBK rookie in the FIXI Crescent Suzuki Team, Jules Cluzel.
Lowes, on the other hand, was able to limit the damage in the previous race at Imola by ending up 2nd after a difficult start of the race and a last-turn overtake on team mate Vladimir Leonov. The young Brit, in fact, still leads the standings with a considerable 34 points gap over the three-time World Supersport Champion. Leonov's first podium of the season came at the right time, as the local rider is hoping to shine again in front of his home crowd after last year's third place finish.
Despite the 55 point separation from the top, Fabien Foret still holds a key-role in the title fight, as the only way for the Frenchman to stay in contention for victory is to aim for the win at every round. Pata Honda riders Michael van der Mark and Lorenzo Zanetti will are still looking for the team's first win in the season, with the Italian who scored at Moscow Raceway two top-10 finishes in 2012, as he was racing onboard a Ducati 1198 in the Superbike class.
Irishman Jack Kennedy will debut on Rivamoto Team's home track, while Vladimir Ivanov (DMC-Lorenzini Kawasaki) won't be part of the game as he is still recovering from multiple injuries he sustained after a massive crash at Imola. The rider from St. Petersburg, who was moved out of intensive care one week ago, will be replaced by team mate and STK600 rider Alexey Ivanov.
Sheridan Morais (PTR Honda) will sit out the Russian round too, as he agreed with the team to miss the race in order to use the 4-week break to let his shoulder heal properly. American Kenny Noyes will step in for the injured South African rider.
No comments:
Post a Comment