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The spark between Roberta Ponziani and motorcycles ignited when she was just a child, later leading the 27-year-old from Abruzzo to defend the Italian flag in the inaugural season of the FIM Women's Motorcycling World Championship, which kicked off in mid-June at Misano.
"My first race was with a minibike. Everything came quite naturally to me, right away," Roberta told the championship organizers, as she spoke about her beginnings. "I was nine, and I was with my father. There was a minibike track near my house, and I asked my father to let me try riding the bikes. His first reaction was, ‘No, it’s just for boys’, but there was a girl riding, who was the daughter of the owner of the track. So I said, ‘If she can ride, then I can too!’ , and that's how I started riding. He later bought me a minibike, and I started racing. I was lucky because that track was only there for about one more year and then it closed, so it was just good timing!"
Why motorcycling? "I love the feeling when you ride motorcycles, the adrenaline. I can’t explain it," she replied. "I feel good. I want to be faster. and I want to improve every day."
She's been tough since childhood. Roberta took her first steps in the world of two wheels by competing alongside male riders in mixed championships, and that's exactly how she won her first two national minibike titles in 2014-2015."When I was young, I didn’t feel that different. When racing against boys, I always felt comfortable. I didn’t have problems," she admitted. "In Italy, I think I’m the only one. I’ve been riding for twenty years, and I think everybody knows me there."
Those who certainly haven't forgotten the rider from Abruzzo during her minibike years is Marco Bezzecchi, who spoke highly of his former rival: "She’s a very good rider. We had some battles when we were younger. It wasn’t easy for her because she had to fight against lots of riders who were fast, but she defended herself well and fought hard. She never gave up. I admired her for this."
With grit and determination, Ponziani continued her career by racing in the CIV and the Yamaha R3 trophy between 2016 and 2019, before landing in the women's championships, where she won four 3rd places at a European level, between 2020 and 2023, and the title of first Italian champion. Achievements that have opened doors to the world championships in her category, where she occupies 5th position in the rankings after the round in Emilia-Romagna
"I'm very excited and honored to be the only Italian representative, and I'm ready to give it my all!" the MotoXracing team rider commented. Roberta is clear about the goal she wants to pursue this season: "To win the first ever Women's World Championship."
