Reigning World Supersport Champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) is heading to the Acerbis Dutch Round with the hope of securing his first points of 2017, as the Turkish rider has had a tough start to his campaign so far.

Recovering from an injury over the winter, Sofuoglu made his return at the Pirelli Aragon Round but was unable to finish the race after he was involved in a crash. However he is now fully motivated and ready to race around the iconic TT Assen Circuit – a circuit in which he has a strong history around, last taking the victory in 2015.

 “I am ready now,” explains a determined Sofuoglu. “Honestly, in Aragon I was not quite ready, because of my injuries. But the good thing is that I got some laps in on my bike, because I lost some winter testing and the first two rounds. So Motorland was like a warm-up for the season. Assen is like a half-home round for me because my wife and her family are from Holland. I am expecting a good weekend and I am happy that the Assen weekend has arrived. The weather can be a question mark for everybody, but it does not matter, because dry or wet I love to be in Assen. My Kawasaki loves Assen too. Hopefully I can make a really good race to make my team happy, my family happy and - of course - I will make myself happy too if I can win in Assen.”

British team-mate Kyle Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) heads to the Acerbis Dutch Round season with high hopes and a strong level of experience now behind him. Setting realistic goals ahead of his fourth weekend with the team, Ryde sets his sights on his Friday pace.
 
Ryde looks ahead to what is set to be an interesting Dutch round: “I think I can be very strong in Assen, mainly because this is the first track of the season that I really know. I have more experience racing there than most other circuits on the calendar. The main thing, the most important day for me, is Friday. I need to be inside the top six after that first day, to make sure I get into Superpole two, and then that should help make everything go smoothly.”

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