Kenan Sofuoglu | The Fast Turks

Kenan Sofuoğlu

Birth Place:

Akyazı, Turkey

Date of Birth:

25 August 1984 (Age 37)

Career Highlights:

World Supersport Champion -

2007, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016

Previous Race Numbers:

54, 1

Social Media:

Introduction

Simply put, Kenan Sofuoğlu is a Turkish sporting legend. He was the first Turk to compete in world championship level motorsport and has written his name into the motorcycle racing history books as the most successful World Supersport rider of all time, boasting a record five world championships – a feat that will almost certainly never be surpassed.

His father Irfan owned a motorcycle shop, and along with his two older brothers Bahattin and Sinan, Kenan was always destined for a life on two wheels. The three brothers honed their skills from an early age in the quiet countryside of their hometown, Adapazari.

It could well be argued that it is only because of Kenan’s subsequent endeavours, trials and tribulations - including numerous personal tragedies that befell him throughout his career - that we are now witnessing a new generation of Turkish riders rise through the ranks.

Now retired from racing, Kenan is an active member of the ruling AK Party in Turkey and as the symbolic figurehead of Turkish motorcycle racing he is also the manager of all four Turkish riders competing on the world stage, providing them with his invaluable insight, guidance and unwavering support.

Earning his stripes

Having enjoyed some success in domestic competitions in Turkey and Germany, Kenan entered the European Superstock 1000 Championship in 2004 as a Yamaha Germany rider, securing a solid third position in the final standings. And even though he broke his hand midway through the following campaign, he came agonisingly close to winning the title, only losing out on the last lap of the season finale.

This provided the springboard for Kenan to graduate to the World Supersport Championship with the dominant Ten Kate Honda team. He hit the ground running, taking third place in his first outing at Qatar before having to wait until the halfway point of the season to re-visit the podium. From that point onwards he rode with the confidence of a champion in the making, storming to six consecutive podiums (including two victories in the Netherlands and Germany).

The Reign begins

Now really into his stride, Kenan was a class apart in 2007; he won a total of eight races - breaking the record for most wins in a season and only retiring once from a 13-race campaign, clinching his first World Supersport crown. His imperious form was rewarded with promotion to Ten Kate’s World Superbike squad for 2008, riding alongside Carlos Checa and Ryuichi Kiyonari as part of a three-rider team.

Unfortunately, the bike proved to be uncompetitive but more significantly Kenan lost his one remaining older brother Sinan, who died in a motorcycle training accident in Turkey (his oldest brother Bahattin was killed in a road traffic accident in 2002). Unsurprisingly his form was badly affected and he only managed a handful of top 10 finishes in what was an extremely trying season on and off track.

Character Building

In a bid to resurrect his career Kenan returned to the World Supersport Championship, once again riding for the Ten Kate squad for 2009. And he duly returned to something resembling his best form, although he couldn’t quite match the pace of Cal Crutchlow and Eugene Laverty over a full season, claiming third position behind the two Brits in the final standings.

With Crutchlow leaving the World Supersport class as the outgoing champion, the 2010 World Supersort title fight was a two-horse race between Kenan and Eugene Laverty. The pair were in a league of their own and fought tooth and nail throughout the year. Despite Laverty having more than twice the win tally of his rival (eight wins to Kenan’s three), Kenan’s superior consistency when he didn't win proved to be the deciding factor in him claiming his second World Supersport title.

Just like in 2008, having come off the back of a title-winning season, Kenan was offered an opportunity to venture into pastures new in 2011, signing for the CIP Technomag team to compete in the Moto2 World Championship (the prototype equivalent of the World Supersport class). And once again, tragedy struck when Kenan’s father Irfan lost his battle to cancer early in the year. Second place at a rain-soaked Dutch round at Assen was the only high point of an otherwise forgettable year.

Kenan Sofuoglu Motegi Moto2 motodicorsa.jpg

Return of the King

For the second time in his career, Kenan found himself back in familiar surroundings when he signed for the Mahi Racing India World Supersport team, this time riding a Kawasaki. Suffice to say, it was as if he’d never been away and he sealed a third championship to become the most successful rider in the history of the World Supersport class.

But fate dealt him the cruellest blow of all in 2015, when having become a father for the first time (he married Julia Looman in 2014), his son Hamza died aged just four months due to a cerebral haemorrhage. It is testament to Kenan’s fortitude and mental toughness that even during this unimaginably challenging period of his life that he still raced on and became a champion for the fourth time, this time riding for the Puccetti Racing team.

A new journey

Kenan won his fifth and final World Supersport championship in 2016, completing his legacy. He even managed to create history off-track that year, hitting a record speed of 400kph (248.54mph) riding a modified Kawasaki H2R production bike across the then newly opened Osman Gazi bridge to mark the occasion.

But in 2017 and 2018 he underwent numerous surgeries as heavy crashes began to take their toll on his body.

He called time on his career at the fifth round of the 2018 campaign and retired with immediate effect to concentrate on his roles as a parliamentarian (up until 2022), rider manager and most importantly as a father and husband. At the time of writing, Kenan has four children; Mahir, Zayn, Lila and Rayen.

Zayn a is child prodigy and has inherited his father's love of both two and four wheels. Even as a toddler, he has displayed an extraordinary level of natural aptitude and flair for all things mechanical; through his Instagram page, which regularly chronicles his amazing feats such as riding quad bikes on two wheels, precisely parking 4x4s attached to large trailers into tight spaces and performing donuts in his father's exotic supercars, he has amassed over a million followers and continues to wow viewers with his on-screen charm and incredible talent.

By all accounts, it appears that the Sofuoğlu name and legacy is very much in safe hands.

Dedicated to Turkish motorcycle racers competing on the world stage and more!

Kenan Sofuoğlu

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