World Supersport Champion and Turkish national motorcyclist Kenan Sofuoğlu, 33, announced he was ending his career upon the order of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, due to an injury sustained in a crash in Australia.
Sofuoğlu first shared his decision with his Instagram followers. “In Italy, 12-13 May, for all my supporters and my team, there will be a final celebration,” said Sofuoğlu. “A recently sustained injury, the concerns of my family and my president’s order to quit racing have caused me to push this decision forward.”
Throughout his 20-year motorcycling career, Sofuoğlu earned five world championships. Three Sofuoğlu brothers were originally following the same path; however, the other two brothers died in crashes in 2002 and 2008.
Part of Kawasaki Puccetti Racing, Sofuoğlu will race at Italy’s Misano Circuit this weekend.