Kenan Sofuoglu cruised to his first win of the 2017 season and his fourth at Assen, whilst championship leader Lucas Mahias just held Jules Cluzel at bay for second.
Sofuoglu made his return to the World Supersport Championship last time out in Aragon, having spent the first two rounds on the sidelines with injury. Showing competitive pace, the Puccetti rider’s race ended in disaster when he collided with Federico Caricasulo’s Yamaha.
On the pace all weekend, Sofuoglu was in real danger of darting off into the distance. At the start, he took the holeshot and immediately began to eke out an advantage to second-placed Mahias, the gap standing at a second after just two laps.
Cluzel was able to lap quicker than the leader on his CIA Landlords Honda, but the Frenchman spent too much time carving his way past the Yamaha’s of Sheridan Morais and Mahias to make an impression, Sofuoglu by now almost three seconds up the road.
Cluzel was able to build up a comfortable gap once ahead of Mahias, but he was soon reeled in. With Mahias, Morais, Caricasulo and PJ Jacobsen all running line astern, the battle for second was fierce.
Despite several errors at Turn 4 in the closing stages, Mahias pipped Cluzel by just 0.005s, with Jacobsen finding his way through on Morais in the final corners to take a damage-limiting fourth. Caricasulo completed the top six, with Puccetti’s Michael Canducci a distant seventh having started third.
Luke Stapleford gave his Profile Racing team something to smile about after a disastrous start to the year. The Briton was eighth ahead of Christian Gamarino, whilst Rob Hartog won top European Supersport honours in 10th.
Kyle Smith was a disappointing 11th ahead of Kyle Ryde, whose gamble to run the development SC2 front tyre backfired. Hannes Soomers took the chequered flag in 13th from Anthony West and Roberto Rolfo.
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