After making a good start to the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” ended abruptly for Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha), who suffered a heavy highside on the third lap of Race 1 at Turn 4 during the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s visit to Italy for the fourth round of the 2022 season.

The Frenchman finished 14^th overall on Friday before going to take 16^th place in Tissot-Superpole, his best qualifying result since he was 12th in last year’s season-ending Indonesian Round, as he looked to secure more strong results in WorldSBK. The Yamaha rider was looking for his first top ten finish of the season, but he crashed shortly after the start of Race 1. He was taken to the medical centre where he was diagnosed with a broken right collarbone and a sprained cervical ligament. Ponsson had to miss the rest of the weekend in Italy.

Discussing the crash, Ponsson said: “In a few words, I didn’t have any engine brake problems this weekend. But I don’t know what happened in the race. From the first lap, I noticed that the bike was behaving strangely. But with the excitement of the start and the fact that I wanted to keep my spot, I finished the first lap like that. I told myself I had to change the engine brake map, because something was strange. Just as I was about to do so, when I entered turn 4, the bike stuck, got sideways and threw me out. I couldn’t do anything. I felt a big crack, and I understood what had happened to me. I will undergo surgery on Thursday and will be discharged from the hospital the next day. After that, I will be assisted by a physiotherapist in order to be able to return to Donington Park.”

Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha team manager Ophelie Ponsson added: “On the third lap, Christophe lost the rear at Turn 4. He was thrown off the bike and crashed on his head first, then on his right shoulder. He immediately felt that something was wrong. The medical centre diagnosed a broken right collarbone in several pieces. The technical team is currently investigating to determine the cause of the crash.”

Ponsson will undergo surgery this Thursday in Monaco. Afterwards, he will begin his rehabilitation process with the aim of returning to Donington Park in less than five weeks. “A plate and screws will be fitted,” the team manager said. “He will have one week of immobilisation and then he will work with a physiotherapist to recover his mobility and strength as quickly as possible. We are hoping it will not be too short for Donington.”

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