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After racing in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, the Spanish CEV and the British Superbike Championship in the past few years, Christophe Ponsson will be once again aboard Kawasaki ZX-10R in 2015 for his debut season in the eni FIM Superbike World Championship with the Grillini Racing Team.

Christophe, how do you feel now that Grillini Racing has officially announced that you will be racing in WorldSBK next year?
“As you can imagine, I’m very happy about it. I had a difficult season this year and I didn’t expect to get the chance to race in such an important series. After my 2014 season and the last race, I wanted to take some time off but that meant that there would have been less interesting options for next year. And then I suddenly got in touch with the Grillini Team, thanks to Fabien Raulo from Kawasaki Europe. We immediately worked towards this direction and here we are. I’d like to thank the Grillini Team for this opportunity as well as all the people that made it possible.”

After a season on the Bimota BB3, you will be back on a bike that you raced in STK1000 in 2013. What are you goals for next year?
“I’m getting back to a bike I raced in 2013 but my actual bike for 2015 will be different, there will be new electronics to which I will have to adapt. It’s also a new championship for me, the World Superbike. I’ll be facing very fast and very experienced riders. I’ve got a lot to learn on the track but I will also have to get used to many other things, such as racing outside of Europe for example. It’s very exciting but I’ll have to show some maturity in order to deal with this season in the best way I can. As far as my goals go, once again it will be about learning as much as possible and to score points as often as I can.”

When will you do your first test with your new team?
“We’ll be testing in Aragón on January 19th and 20th. The test is organized by Kawasaki so we’ll be there. We’ll then move to Australia and Phillip Island for the Official Tests before the first Round.”

You already had a break after the end of your 2014 season, what’s your plan for the rest of the winter?
“This break allowed me to rest and relax. The Superbike season is quite long because it starts early in the year and ends relatively late. Therefore I’ll need to make sure I’m in good shape. It’s very important in order to be confortable on the bike. I want to be as well prepared as I can, so that I can focus entirely on my riding.”

Interview provided by OffBikes.com