Christophe Ponsson also worked on preparing for his WSBK season on the Portimao track. During these tests, the third Frenchman entered in the category this year with Loris Baz and Lucas Mahias showed solid progress against the clock compared to his 2021 pace. All of this will now have to be confirmed with his Yamaha when hostilities begin. .
Christophe Ponsson of Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha was pleased to note during the tests in Portimao great progress since his last visit to Portugal and he intends to continue his momentum. Eighth at the end of the second day and one second faster than during the event held in October, Ponsson completed 62 laps of the track located in the Algarve and gained eight tenths the next day. He especially focused on his position and ergonomics on the handlebars of his Yamaha YZF-R1.
« I'm really happy with this test, because it's the first ride of the winter », confides the Frenchman. “ We had made good improvements on the bike, I saw it from the start and it was a good thing. I immediately felt comfortable on the bike and I also progressed during the winter. I feel good and I'm ready for the next one. "
« Ignoring the fast drivers and just focusing on myself, I lapped a second faster than during last year's race weekend and that's good » he adds on the official website of the WSBK. " It's not like an event where you share the track with others who push you, so it's super positive for us. Everything we tried was positive too, so we can't wait to see the progress on the next circuit. »
Christophe Ponsson aims for a subscription between eighth and eleventh place
Last year, Ponsson has continued to progress, particularly in the second half of the calendar. He often scored points and also took a ninth position at the Tissot-Superpole Race in Catalonia, his best result in WorldSBK, before another Top 10 at Portimao (Race 1). Ranked 20th overall, he hopes to be able to pick up where he left off.
« The goal is to be in the top ten as much as possible He adds. " We did it occasionally last year, but we want it to be more regular. It will be difficult, because there are a lot of official machines with super fast riders, but we improved a lot during the second half of last season. With what we have perfected on the bike during this test and my feeling, we can hope to reach the Top 10 a little more regularly, between eighth and eleventh place, and be more consistent” finishes the tricolor.
WSBK Tests Portimao: D2 times
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (TR), Yamaha, 1:39.616 min
2. Jonathan Rea (GB), Kawasaki, 1:39.851
3. Alvaro Bautista (E), Ducati, 1:40.055
4 Alex Lowes (GB), Kawasaki, 1:40.335
5 Andrea Locatelli (I), Yamaha, 1:40.674
6 Philipp Öttl (D), Ducati, 1:41.061
7 Michael Rinaldi (I), Ducati, 1:41.143
8. Christophe Ponsson (F), Yamaha, 1:42.374
9 Luca Bernardi (I), Ducati, 1:42.961
