Source: Kawasaki.

The FIM Supersport World Championship is about to get started with – as usual – many potential title contenders at Phillip Island’s Swann Round this week.

Three-time World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu is eager to return to winning ways after a tough 2014, which saw the 30-year-old Turk struggle in the first half of the season only to find himself without a ride after the summer break.

Thanks to the efforts by Kawasaki, Sofuoglu was able to finish the season with the San Carlo Puccetti Racing team, the same outfit he is going to tackle the 2015 edition of the series with.

After finishing as runner-up for the second time in two years of participation in the category, Jules Cluzel is back to business aboard the F3 675 of the MV Agusta Reparto Corse team, joined this time by Lorenzo Zanetti.

Last year’s title-winning squad Pata Honda has recruited young Briton Kyle Smith as the team’s sole rider for the year, unlike CIA Landlords Insurance Honda which fields a significant four-rider line-up consisting of the returning Gino Rea, Martin Cardenas, Kieran Clarke and Riccardo Russo.

Frenchman Lucas Mahias will be alongside confirmed rider Patrick Jacobsen within the Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres Team, while last year’s FIM Europe Superstock 600 champion Marco Faccani steps up to the new World Supersport challenge as Sofuoglu’s team-mate in the San Carlo Puccetti Racing Team.

After taking part in selected rounds last year, Alex Baldolini is going to contest the whole 2015 season with his own ATK#25 MV Agusta team. Fellow Italians Roberto Rolfo and Christian Gamarino will race with Team Lorini and Team Go Eleven, respectively.

At Phillip Island, fulltime series rookie Glenn Scott will be joined by fellow class debutantes Aiden Wagner, Sam Lambert and Alex Phillis in the World Supersport line-up.