It was in January 2005 that businessman Jean-Christophe Ponsson (Christophe's father) created the Gil Motor Sport team to race that year in World Supersport the 1999 World Champion Stéphane Chambon, who finished seventh in 2005. Kawasaki then decided on September 3, 2006 during the Assen race, to confirm Gil Motor Sport as the Official Kawasaki Team for the 2007 Supersport World Championship. Fabien Foret finished in third place in the general classification of the championship. World Supersport 2007.
During the 2008 Kawasaki season, not wishing to have more than two official riders within the Kawasaki-Gil Motor Sport structure, Jean-Christophe Ponsson decided to create a second structure which was called Gil Motor Sport-Solution F which was in charge of the Supersport World Championship program and ran the 125 GP2002 World Champion Arnaud Vincent. To lead this team Jean-Christophe Ponsson called on the 1981 GP250 vice-world champion, Jean-François Baldé, who was given the role of team manager.
The future passes through training, on February 27, 2009 Gil Motor Sport signed an agreement with Stéphane Chambon, as part of the training of young pilots Christophe Ponsson who had just turned 13 on December 23, 2008.
Christophe Ponsson was born on December 23, 1995 in Lyon. At 3 years old, Christophe was already riding a Peewee 50 Yamaha. At 7 years old, he rode a KTM 65 Cross under the wise advice of Professor Chambon. At the age of 8, he won the Belgian “Child” Pocket Bike Championship on his Polini 50 RR.
He was then trained by Adrian Morillas, which made him run extensively on the Spanish circuits in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, Christophe finished 29th in the European Superstock 600 championship. In 2013 he finished 15th in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. In 2014, Christophe rode in the BSB championship at the United Kingdom for the Bimota Alstare team.
In 2015, Christophe entered the Superbike World Championship, he was then the youngest rider in the history of WSBK. He competed in 4 races with Grillini, then the rest of the season with Pedercini, on Kawasaki. He ranked 22nd with 18 points, with his best result being 11th place in Qatar.
In 2016, he returned to Superstock 1000 with Pedercini on Kawasaki and finished 29th with 6 points. In 2017 and 2018, Christophe races in the Superstock/Open 1000 RFME championship in Spain and he placed second at MotorLand Aragon (He is currently 6th in the Championship), as well as in the French Superbike Championship, where he has just finished second and third on the Circuit Carole on August 25 and 26.
But this weekend in Misano, the elite awaits him. We can indeed tell you exclusively that he is well on his way to being the second Frenchman alongside John Zarco engaged in MotoGP. Christophe Ponsson is in fact planned alongside Xavier Simeon to ride on the Ducati left vacant by a Tito Rabat injured and recovering.
Photos: Facebook page Christophe Ponsson @ Pepe Sanchez and others
