Kenan Sofuoglu is stubborn and often gets what he wants: after numerous initial attempts, the tough Turk broke the 400 km/h barrier (that's right, four hundred) and he did it astride a two-wheeled motorcycle, something that he does rather well, having earned four world Supersport titles.
The backdrop for this achievement was the Osman Gazi suspension bridge located on the Izmit Bay, naturally in Turkey, about 50 kilometres from Istanbul. The bridge was opened to traffic just yesterday, and in attendance for this momentous occasion was Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who, in addition to “launching” the local architectural gem, witnessed the performance of another home-grown product that Turkey can claim, multiple champion Kenan.
However, nothing was left to chance: just like in racing, you do not improvise records and Kenan wore special leathers with specifically designed aerodynamics, assuming a true jockey style position in the saddle of the right vehicle, a Kawasaki Ninja H2R, more a missile than a bike, the fastest and most powerful stock vehicle produced by the Akashi-based manufacturer.
A bike that the Turkish rider himself had a hand in: “The H2R that I requested from Kawasaki could reach a speed of 380 kilometres per hour, which is exceptional, but it wasn't what I was looking for. So I made a few small changes, but without modifying the original setup. I had to make several attempts where I got close to the speed I wanted to reach and today I succeeded.”
One of the secrets, according to the Turkish champion, was understanding the movement of the wind and the right weather conditions: “In the end, we tried at 5 in the morning. That was when we found the situation we had been looking for, finally! It took four months of work to be able to achieve this goal, but I was successful, thank God. Now I can focus on bringing home my fifth Supersport title with my Kawasaki ZX6R.”
After this event, Kenan is even more of a hero in his country but we should clarify one thing: Sofuoglu hit 400 with a factory product, the Ninja H2R, a real rocket, but still a vehicle that can be purchased by anyone who wants to ride it. The actual speed record on two wheels, or at least on something that looks somewhat like a motorcycle, was first set by Bill Warner, who touched 502 astride a Suzuki Hayabusa turbo, but the rider from Florida's bike had almost nothing in common with the factory product, starting from the revamped aerodynamic shell, closer to a spaceship than a bike. That record was then broken when Rocky Robinson reached 605 km/h astride a vehicle that was absolutely nothing like a motorbike. Furthermore, the two aforementioned riders achieved these speeds in locations other than common “everyday roads”, which makes the records a bit, shall we say, legitimate but “pre-packaged”.
Kenan Sofuoglu used a factory bike, definitely prepared well, fuelled by a special petrol and fitted with aerodynamic winglets and a custom made rear tyre, but he touched 400 in about 30 seconds in order to prevent the tyre from exploding on a street that had only just been opened to traffic and with unpredictable weather conditions. Also, the Turkish rider did not use a parachute to brake, but his right wrist, as usual.