Turk Kenan Sofuoglu Hits 400 km/h On Kawasaki H2R

Kawasaki’s hyperbikes, the supercharged H2 and track-only H2R, have aroused curiosity about how fast they can actually go, in terms of top speed. Kawasaki has officially said the unrestricted, 300 hp H2R will do 380 km/h, but no one’s actually seen anything near that figure.

World Supersports champion Kenan Sofuoglu has answered that question with a run of 400 km/h on an “adjusted” 2016 Kawasaki H2R during the opening of the Osman Gazi bridge that spans the Gulf of Izmit. Sofuoglu crossed the 2.68 km long span of the bridge in about 30 seconds.

Preparation for the top speed attempt began four months earlier in Turkey, and the successful run was made two days before the official opening of the bridge. Previous trials saw Sofuoglu reaching speeds of up to 390 km/h before the 400 km/h number was reached.

"I reached 400 km/h, the maximum speed that this motorcycle could have, after a 4 long months of training,” said Sofuoglu. “The top speed we get to in the world championship races is about 300 km/h, so 400 km/h is a really high speed. It was a dream to reach this speed and thank god I made it.”

Sofuoglu – who rides for Kawasaki Puccetti Racing – is currently at the top in the World Supersports standings, and is gunning for his fifth world title. It should be noted that a second speed run in the opposite direction was not made within the stipulated one-hour limit, thus precluding the run from being taken as a “record” attempt. Additionally, the speed reading was takne off the Kawasaki H2R’s speedometer, and not with a calibrated radar gun. - paultan.org