As the fight for the FIM Supersport World Championship intensifies, Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was able to secure his fifth victory of the season in an enthralling battle at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.

Beating championship rival Lucas Mahias (GRT Official Yamaha WorldSSP Team) to  the chequered flag as the battle boiled down to the final lap, the Turkish rider explained this kind of victory means more to him as he was able to end a strong battle on top. Taking hold of the championship lead, he is now just four points in the lead of the title fight with three rounds remaining.

Getting a slow start off the line, the five time world champion left himself with some work to do in the opening laps and he was looking to be struggling on his ZX-6R. However he soon made his way to the front of the pack but was unable to shake off Mahias. Boiling down to the final lap, Sofuoglu took the victory by 0.080s and as a result, the championship lead.

“For sure it was a very good day,” begins Sofuoglu. “If you win the races with a really good battle you can enjoy them more. I think today was a very good race for everybody because Lucas and me are fighting for the championship and I knew it was a going to be a good battle on the last lap. Yesterday we had a crash which was a little bit disturbing for our speed and I expected the race to be expected easier, it was a really difficult race but in the end I enjoyed it even more.”

Re-watch the thrilling race from the Portimao circuit, as Sofuoglu may have made his next step to becoming six time world champion, all on the WorldSBK VideoPass.