Decidedly, the fate is on the Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha team, which saw its driver Christophe Ponsson get injured in the 1st round of Misano in Italy who forced him to undergo surgery.

Now it’s the team’s semi-trailer that was hit in the back by a truck on the highway in Germany on 25 July on its way to the Most circuit in the Czech Republic.

The driver and mechanic of the Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha trailer arrives on a traffic, brakes and takes care to put on the hazard lights, however the truck behind him crashes into the rear of the Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha trailer. Fortunately the driver of the German truck is not injured but he is extremely shocked to the point of not being able to speak for several minutes, after the fact he declares that he did however brake but that his truck had no brake.

The German police are considering the intervention of a towing vehicle(tow truck), but the driver Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha inspects the wrecked semi-trailer with the police to assess whether or not it could resume the road, because he explains the importance of his arrival at the Most circuit as soon as possible and that of his loading.

After some negotiations with the German police, a technical intervention to cut the bodywork sheet and secure its movement as well as possible, the German police finally accept that the Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha is back on the road with instructions to the driver especially to drive slowly.

After several hours the driver Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha is back on the road and has driven a lot of the night to reach the Most circuit this morning.

Through the damaged side door of the trailer, the police and the driver were also able to observe interior damage when they noticed that one of the motorcycles dislodged from its fixing shoe fell on its right flank, Then the floor of the trailer corrugated by the violent shock. The rear tailgate being twisted the driver did not open it at the risk of certainly not being able to close it, so it is at the Most circuit at the opening that the team fears to discover the additional damage.

It is therefore in parallel with the usual preparations for the start of a weekend of races, that the Gil Motor Sport Yamaha team will also have to work to ensure that they can close the rear tailgate and secure the semi-trailer in order to make its return to Luxembourg which will probably be his last trip.

Ophélie Ponsson Team Manager:

«We find ourselves without being responsible in an extremely delicate situation since in less than 6 weeks, that is on September 5, a semi-trailer loaded with our equipment will have to leave for the Magny-Cours Superbike race in France! In case of time and in this holiday period, it will be extremely difficult to find a semi-trailer adapted to the need of the motorcycle race and that it is ready for Magny-Courses, as well as for the follow-up between our company Lalux Assurances and the German insurance company. We would have done well without this problem and especially now.

Last January, after losing 2 sponsors including a history, Unfortunately, we had to decide to hire the driver Christophe Ponsson only on the 9 WSBK races held in Europe while hoping to find during the season partners allowing us to engage our driver on the 3 Overseas races.

We were just studying the feasibility of closing this WSBK season on the entirety of its championship as this accident happens and nullifies our hopes of being present in Argentina, Indonesia and Australia! Indeed the return of the Most trailer to Luxembourg should be the 1st of August and the latter will be the subject of insurance expertise that will validate its removal from circulation, but under what time frame? when will Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha be compensated? and by how much? All this takes time, it will not be simple but as usual Gil Motor Sport will respect its commitments, so we will be well at the Magny-Cours race but at the moment, I do not know how we will get there and at what price!…

I would especially like to thank the German authorities for their compassion for our situation, as the police understood the importance of doing everything possible to ensure that Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha could arrive this morning at the Most circuit».