QMMF president Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah (left) with WSS world champion Kenan Sofuoglu during the awards ceremony held in Doha.

By Joe Koraith/Doha

Motorsport at the world level is largely dominated by Europeans. The Americans pretty much live in a cocoon anyway. Europe has the infrastructure which produces talent, which in turn generates revenue and recognition and the cycle continues.
So when any outsider tries to make a foray into this closed world, it makes people sit up and take notice. Especially when that someone manages to reach the summit – not once, but multiple times. Kenan Sofuoglu received his trophy in Doha on Monday for becoming the 2015 World Supersport champion. He has now won more championships that anyone else in WSS with four titles. And he is from Turkey, a country that’s like a bridge between Europe and Asia.
Just getting here should have been an achievement in itself but Sofuoglu has gone on to dominate the category. It hasn’t been an easy journey.
“Motorsport, at the moment, in Turkey is at a very low level. I moved to Germany when I was 18 to start my career there. Then I moved to European Championships and then to the world championships. It was very difficult for me. For the European people it’s easier. But I am happy to be standing here today with four world titles under my belt,” Sofuoglu told Gulf Times.
Going through all these hardships would be enough to make anyone quit but life put the 31-year-old through tougher and cruel tests. The Turkish rider lost his eldest brother Bahattin, also a racer, to a road accident in 2002. Then in 2008 his elder brother Sinan died in a racing accident in 2008.
Sofuoglu says it’s the lack of fear that keeps him going. “Of course this sport is dangerous. But we do whatever we can to keep ourselves safe. I lost one brother because of this. But I lost another brother when he was hit by a car on the street. So life can dish out anything to you. But I am not afraid and don’t focus on that when I am racing,” he said.
And then as if the list of tragedies wasn’t enough, Sofuoglu also lost his new-born baby Hamza in July earlier this year. Another cruel roll of the dice by life that he has had to tide over.
“I lost my baby Hamza this year and it was not an easy moment for me. But I didn’t give up. I kept on fighting very hard and in the end I got the title. This title is very important for me because I want to dedicate it to my baby Hamza. This was my dream and I am very happy to have done it,” said Sofuoglu.
The WSS champion is Muslim and religiously observes fasting during Ramadan. He was happy to be here in Qatar, it being a Muslim country and even more happy to see the riders in the Qatar championships.
“Qatar for me is very special because I am a Muslim and this is a Muslim country. It’s nice to be here and see the local riders in the Qatar Championships. I am happy to see riders from the Muslim countries taking part in this sport. Hopefully I will see more Muslim riders at the world level,” he said.
During the final WSS race held in Qatar he had to be content with a second place on the podium but was happy that he could deliver the manufacturer’s title to his team.  
“We made the podium in the final race. I helped the team win the manufacturer’s title. We deserved to win the race but we made a mistake with the tyre choice. We went with hard tyres which gave me a very hard time during the race. But we still got to the podium and I am still very happy and proud to have finished the last race on the podium.”
That a four-time WSS champion could come from Turkey is not something that you could have predicted but Sofuoglu has managed it with style. And now that he has paved the path, he’s looking to get more racers from his country into this sport.
“There are new riders that are coming up. There are a couple of riders that I am helping. I don’t want to take names right now but they will be future world champions for sure. The future of motorposrt, especially in Turkey, looks very good. And I am trying my very best to help that cause,” he signs off.