Pons plans Asturias run to recapture lost pace

24th August 2010

By Richard Rodgers

Xevi Pons will enter the European championship-counting Rally Principe de Asturias in Spain next month in an effort to improve his form on asphalt.

The Spaniard struggled for pace on Rallye Deutschland last week and finished a distant fifth overall in his Nupel Global Racing Ford Fiesta S2000. Although he kept his Super 2000 World Rally Championship lead intact, he admitted he was at a loss to explain his lack of potency against the Skoda Fabias of P-G Andersson and eventual category winner Patrik Sandell.

“I’m not happy and I don’t know what the problem is,” said Pons after his title lead over Andersson was trimmed to 13 points with only two scoring opportunities remaining compared to Andersson’s three. “The rally in Spain will be perfect for me because I can drive on Tarmac again before I go to France [for the penultimate SWRC event in late September].”

Pons, 30, has tackled the Oviedo-based event on one previous occasion.