Christophe Ponsson, Gil Motor Sport Yamaha bolster 2022 WorldSBK grid

Gil Motor Sport has confirmed it will compete in the 2022 WorldSBK Championship with Christophe Ponsson following an encouraging maiden campaign in the series last season.

The veteran French outfit progressed to the international stage for the first time in 2021 in a collaboration with the esteemed title-winning Alstare operation, entering a single Yamaha R1 for Ponsson.

Though Gil Motor Sport and Alstare parted ways before the end of the year owing to Francis Batta’s ill health, Ponsson enjoyed a positive improvement in results as the year wore on, collecting his first top ten with a ninth place result in the season-ending Indonesia finale.

It is a performance he is hoping will springboard him into a stronger sophomore campaign.

“I am very happy to continue with Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha in WorldSBK for a second season,” he said. “We had a good evolution in mid-2021 after a very complicated start last year, we will continue what we have started to build together with the team. Our bike will be more competitive, and I can't wait to try the improvements in our winter testing program.”

“We are happy to be able to repeat a new season in the Superbike World Championship with Christophe Ponsson and the manufacturer Yamaha,” team manager Ophelie Ponsson added. 

“We ended 2021 on positive notes and with satisfactory results: the pre-season objective of placing us in the top 10 was achieved twice. Our team is more than motivated for the coming season!”