Turkish World motorcycling champion joins rally

By Ibrahim Yozoglu, Onur Orhan

SAKARYA, Turkey

Dozens of bikers led by world motorcycling champion Kenan Sofuoglu set off from Sakarya in western Turkey for Istanbul’s Democracy and Martyrs’ rally Sunday.

The riders had gathered for the procession after Sofuoglu, the four-times world supersport champion, issued a call on social media. They were seen off by Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) who was also heading for the rally.

Tens of thousands of people are gathering for the cross-party demonstration to mark the end of weeks of protests across the country against the July 15 attempted coup. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu and Bahceli will all address the crowds.