---
title: "Supersport champion Sofuoglu out of opening two rounds"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2017/02/21/supersport-champion-sofuoglu-opening-two-rounds/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Lewis Duncan"
section: "SBK"
published: "2017-02-21T09:33:35Z"
modified: "2017-02-21T09:37:36Z"
---

# Supersport champion Sofuoglu out of opening two rounds

Reigning World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu will miss the first two rounds of the 2017 season to undergo surgery on his right hand. He hopes to be back for the third round of the year in Aragon at the end of March.

The Turkish rider broke a bone in his hand during a Supermoto training accident earlier in the year, and has missed almost all of the pre-season as a result.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/02/541237982.jpg)

This week’s two-day test in Phillip Island was his first time on the Puccetti Racing Kawasaki since finishing second in the season-ending Qatar round last year.

Sofuoglu had some metalwork removed from his hand prior to coming to Australia, and this left him with a dislocated thumb. Despite taking part in the test – completing 38 laps and setting the seventh best time of the week – the five-times world champion found the pain too severe and his condition unsafe.

“The thumb was already dislocated before I came because there was some metal to take out, and as the metal was taken out again it dislocated,” he said.

“I made some laps but after the pain I was getting on the bike, and this is dangerous for me and also for the other riders because I can’t brake properly and then we decide to go back and get and operation.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/02/541046242.jpg)

“I hope I can be back on the bike in Aragon; this is our goal now and of course we are very disappointed. It is the opening of the season and I can’t be in the first two races, but it is just motivation to come back stronger.”

Sofuoglu stormed to a fifth title aboard his Puccetti Kawasaki last year having crashed out of the first race, and he didn’t win until the third round of the season in Spain.

This fact will be of some comfort to him, but with WorldSSP 2017 looking extremely competitive his hopes for a sixth championship may already have disappeared.