Pausing his motorcycling career to serve as a lawmaker, World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoğlu launched a new project in Turkey to draw the youth to sports.

"Give Your Heart to Sports," endorsed by the Turkish branch of a popular motorcycle brand, is scouting Turkey to discover new talents in motorsports. The project was initiated in Sakarya, the hometown of Sofuoğlu in northwestern Turkey. A motorcycle manufacturer will supply 20 training bikes for young riders who will then train for Turkish and international events. Teams will visit remote villages and towns all around Turkey for free training for potential riders and pick future riders among them.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Sofuoğlu said they started in a village school in Sakarya's Akyazı district and will go to southeastern city of Diyarbakır next in April. "I visited Diyarbakır a few days ago and saw that there was need for such projects for the youth. We will travel to many cities to find talents and for places we cannot travel due to time constraints, we set up a website where the youth can apply for training," he said. Sofuoğlu said they would pick 10 among riders they will scout and train for a year for a professional career. "This will be the beginning only. We plan to help them qualify for European tournaments," he added. He said the project would not be limited to motorcycling and they planned to include different sports in the future as well.