From 27 to 30 May 2021 it was the 2nd round of the World Superbike Championship at the Estoril circuit in Portugal 🇵🇹

The Estoril circuit in Portugal is an old mythical circuit by the sea and the wind is not what was missing, not a day without wind, watch out for wigs!
Our driver Christophe Ponsson #23 and 80% of his team do not know the circuit of Estoril, so let’s say that everything is to be done during this second round of the World Superbike 2021.

Free Practice 1:

At the end of this first session of a circuit that our driver Christophe Ponsson discovers, He finished 2’835 behind the fastest time of the session, set by Yamaha factory driver Toprak Razgatlioglu, who is particularly fond of this circuit for being on the podium in the three races of the 2020 Estoril weekend, including two victories!

Christophe Ponsson is 1’089 behind the 2020 Supersport World Champion, Andréa Locatelli also official Yamaha.

Free Practice 2:

The second session of Friday was complicated despite the fact that Christophe Ponsson reduced the gap of four tenths between him and the official Yamaha poleman of the same session Toprak Razgatlioglu who thus made his best lap in 1’37.284.

On the other hand, Christophe lost to official Yamaha Andréa Locatelli as the gap was 1’469. On his return to the box during the debriefing with his mechanics, Christophe Ponsson informs them that he made a dead stop, this rarely happens but can happen to all the drivers, so Christophe tells them that it is probably him who provoked him!

Free Practice 3:

In the second round of this third session of the weekend, and first on Saturday, the driver Christophe Ponsson will lose the front of his Yamaha and fall without gravity as he will be able to start again. A small passage through the box to check if the bike is good for the service and it started again for a series of six laps before a second passage through the box.

In the twelfth lap, Christophe again stalled, he is surprised because two dead points in the same weekend never happened to him and the session ends when he only did 14 laps! The fastest rider in this FP3 was Ducati Official Driver Scott Redding, who rode in 1:36.389. Christophe Ponsson will finish this session at 2’387 from the official Yamaha Andreèa Locatelli, 8th of the session, and 2’333 from the tenth place of the Turkish driver Toprak Razgatlioglu also official Yamaha. Christophe is disappointed because this is not the best way to prepare for the qualifying session that arrives.

Superpole Qualification:

Pole position is achieved by six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea on his Kawasaki in 1:35.876. Our driver Christophe Ponsson will finish this Superpole 2’690 behind the official Yamaha Toprak Razgatlioglu, 3rd of the session, and 1’823 behind the other official Yamaha Andréa Locatelli in 9th place.

Even if Christophe did not know the circuit before the FP1 of the old one, he hoped for a better qualification, he does not really see any evolution between sessions and this leaves room for a doubt that settles.

Race 1:

Things are not going well for the French driver Christophe Ponsson because during his first fourteen laps he will make no less than three dead points which will be added to those of the FP2 and FP3.

Now it’s clear for Christophe, it’s not him that causes these waterfall dead points but there is a technical problem! There is the neutral with no consequences and the neutral with consequences, so there is no need to continue to take risks and Christophe Ponsson decides to stop six laps before the end of this 1st race won by the official Ducati Scott Redding.

The Official Yamaha team’s engine manufacturer comes in our box to see Christophe Ponsson’s bike to understand what’s going on and after reflection evokes having encountered the same problems of dead points at the beginning of last season with the Yamaha GRT team for the American rider Garrett Gerloff.

Finally, an explanation of these dead spots but above all a solution!…

Warm Up:

During the possible eight laps of the Warm Up, you have to work to make the necessary corrections to make sure to put an end to this break-even problem.

Superpole Race:

Definitely, on the Portuguese weekend it doesn’t want to do it, because from the second lap of this small race of ten laps, Christophe Ponsson will fall, he will start again but just to finish it because there is nothing to hope for since these competitors have taken too much of a lead. The English rider Jonathan Rea will be the winner with his Kawasaki.

Race 2:

17th of this last race of the weekend in Estoril, Christophe Ponsson is disappointed by the turn of this Portuguese race which has not brought anything positive in internal during the whole weekend. The only positive point is that after the intervention of the engine manufacturer of the Official Yamaha team the technical problem of the break-even point was solved.

The winner will again be Kawasaki factory rider Jonathan Rea, who is back at the top of the championship with the goal of a historic 7th World Superbike title on the horizon.

End of race weekend in Portugal and now focus on the next round at the Misano circuit in Italy.