REIGNING world Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu has been signed on by the newly-rechristened Mahi Racing Team India, formerly MSD R-N Racing Team India.
MRTI is owned by the captain and wicketkeeper of the Indian cricket team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Dhoni, who was a superstar in his cricket-mad home country even before India's victory at the last cricket World Cup, is the world’s 31st richest sportsperson with earnings of US$26.5 million last year.
He is also a proper bike nut, and is reported to own between 15 and 23 motorcycles, ranging from a Kawasaki ZZR-1400 to a Confederate Hellcat.
MSD R-N was formed last year and entered the 2012 600cc Supersport championship mid-season with Dan Linfoot and Fabian Marino, who are retained for 2013. Linfoot took third at Magny-Cours in 2012 – the team’s best result in its inaugural season.
MRTI has also signed up Fabien Foret, who won the title in 2002 and finished fourth this year. The team will be riding Kawasaki ZX-6Rs.
Dhoni has told Indian media that he has an eye on competing in the Superbike category too. With SBK set to make its Indian debut next year at the Buddh International Circuit, which has successfully hosted F1 races for two seasons, the lure of drawing another chunk of the country’s huge population into motorsport makes good business sense.
