By equipping the Turkish Police with Yamaha, the former Supersport World Champion succeeded in a very successful operation. This reinforces him in his role as politician, member of the ruling party, and manager of most of the Turkish drivers present in the World Championships.
Kenan now has solid financial resources, although he was already very comfortable thanks to previous investments.
According to Toprak Razgatlioglu, the relationship between his manager Kenan Sofuoglu and the new motorcycles of the police force in Turkey is as follows: “ Yes, it's true. Kenan arranged for all Turkish police officers to now use Yamaha motorcycles, specifies Toprak. Before they used BMWs, now they have changed to Yamahas. A big deal for Kenan and Yamaha. It's not easy for police to change motorbikes like that, but in Turkey, it was like that. I know Kenan spoke to Parliament and there was this change. He has an important position in politics. I don't know exactly his qualification, but he has an important position. »
On a sporting level, after having been a Kawasaki loyalist for years – and even a dealer of the brand – Sofuoglu fell out with the Greens after the 8 Suzuka 2019H and Toprak became a Yamaha factory rider, which much loved in Türkiye.
Kenan is the driver who has won the most titles (5) and races (43) in the Supersport World Championship, the most podiums (85), the most pole positions (34) and the most highest number of points in the World Championship (2429).
After several serious injuries, at the age of 35 he announced his retirement on May 13, 2018. Since then, he has been a member of the Turkish Parliament for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party and works as a manager for Toprak Razgatlioglu drivers (World Championship Superbike), Can Öncü (World Supersport Championship), Deniz Oncu (Moto3 World Championship) and Bahattin Sofuoglu (Supersport 300 World Championship).
Kenan Sofuoglu has used his years of racing success to amass a comfortable fortune. “ I was the first Turkish racing driver, which led me to have many sponsors”, he explained. " I didn't make much money from the races themselves. Although I had a very good contract with Kawasaki. It was very simple: If I finished second, I didn't get any money. If I won, I received more money than any Superbike rider. That's how my sponsorship deals were, only wins and titles mattered. If I won, I had a lot of money. And I won a lot. I definitely made more money per win than Jonathan Rea. »
“I invested all the money I earned over the last ten years “, said the man from Adapazari.
“It pays off today, now I earn more than a racing driver. I invested my entire flying career in houses and bought one store after another. Today I rent out more than 50 rooms and I also do some things like cars and motorcycles. »
“I built a career in my life, which was very difficult. I had no one to help me. I had to sort everything out myself and I went through some tough times. I lost a lot in my private life. »
“My life as a politician today is very different from what I was used to. Others had a 30-year political career until they gained a seat in Parliament. »
“I come here and I sit in Parliament, which makes a lot of people angry. They are also upset with my lifestyle, no other senator drives a Lamborghini and is at race tracks with motorcycles. I'm too present in the media and very famous. »
Photos Kenan Sofuoglu Facebook
Source: Speedweek. com
