On a strong day for the official Ninja ZX-6R riders in WorldSSP Superpole 2 the lead at the top of the timesheets changed between Kenan and Randy, with the Turkish rider outpacing the Swiss only at the very end of the 15-minute session.
This was Kenan’s seventh pole of the season and a landmark 30th of his WorldSSP career. Krummenacher could simply not find enough rear traction to match Kenan’s time but their pre-race supremacy was underlined for their team when Sofuoglu managed to go over a second faster than the third placed rider.
With only Kenan and Randy competing for the Riders’ Championship itself at this stage, the race on Sunday may have special significance for them both. It could also be a milestone for Kawasaki as the WorldSSP Manufacturers’ Championship is also within its grasp now, with a lead of 39 points over the nearest rival and only a maximum of 50 points available.
Should Sofuoglu win the title it would be his fifth FIM Supersport World Championship crown and the third while riding a Kawasaki.
Starting from the front row alongside his team-mate Krummenacher is now confident that he can put in a strong race on Sunday, to keep his own championship hopes alive.
The Jerez WorldSSP race will get underway at 11.20am on Sunday, over 19 laps of the 4.423km venue.
Kenan Sofuoglu, stated: “It is a really good Superpole because this was a very fast lap time for a Supersport bike. I am happy to be able to make that kind of time but the main goal is to win the championship this weekend. Until now everything has gone very well and the bike is ready; everything is ready. Tomorrow the goal is not to win the race. I think I can, if you look at the times, because my pace is good. In Magny-Cours I made a mistake by trying to win the race to win the championship. Here, trying to win the championship is the goal. Hopefully tomorrow I will reach my goal and then relax in Qatar in the final round.”
Randy Krummenacher, stated: “We are definitely back in good shape and, because my shoulder is great, I can push more. We improved the bike a bit and we are really competitive – this morning a bit more than during the Superpole contest. I was very consistent on my lap time but one crazy lap I just could not do. I did not quite have the rear grip for that but I had very constant rear grip which makes me very confident for the race. Being back on the front row is very important because for a few races I have not been there, so I am feeling confident. I am there at the front and that is where I feel I should be. We are near the end of the season and if I can go into the winter break in this kind of shape that would also make me happy.”
Alessandro Zaccone (San Carlo Team Italia Kawasaki) was the next best Ninja ZX-6R rider behind the official duo from Kawasaki Puccetti Racing, in sixth place. Another ESS rider, Illia Mykhalcyk (DS Junior Team Kawasaki) was ninth in Superpole 2. Just behind him Axel Bassani (San Carlo Team Italia Kawasaki) and Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) completed the top 11 riders. Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) was 14th at his home round and rookie Lachlan Epis (Response RE Racing Kawasaki) 26th on the grid.