Q&A with the two XaviersSpaniard Xavier 'Xevi' Pons will be driving a third Impreza WRC for the Subaru World Rally Team during the second half of the 2007 season before embarking on a full campaign next year.
He will have Xavier Amigo as co-driver when the duo joins
the Petter Solberg/Phil Mills and Chris Atkinson/Stéphane Prévot crews for Rally Finland from 3 to 5 August.
The two Xaviers answered a few questions - some of which were almost pedagogical - before the testing begins in Finland this week-end.
Our first question concerns Xavier, the first name you both share. How should we pronounce it correctly?
XP – "It's pronounced 'sh-hav-vee-air' but actually I prefer the shortened form, Xevi, which is pronounced 'she-vee,' that's good for me."
XA – "Me too, it's a bit like the name Philip or Phil – I prefer the shorter form Xevi too."
Xevi it is. So how do you both feel about joining the Subaru World Rally Team?
XP – "It's good. I am very much looking forward to working with the team and I feel very excited about the year ahead. But it's going to be a little bit hard joining an English-speaking team as my English is not 100 percent yet. But I am having lessons and it's improving every day."
XA – "For me it's great, fantastic even. The competition in the WRC is extremely fierce at the moment and it's not easy to join a top team with a good car.
I am really looking forward to Rally Finland, the first rally with the team. It's like a dream with all of its fast exciting stages."
Which event's are you most looking forward to this year and why?
XP - "I'm looking forward to each one of the eight events that are coming up, but my favourites are the asphalt ones like Corsica and especially my home rally in Catalunya, that's going to be a special place for me."
XA – "For me Catalunya is the one I'm most looking forward to because it's our home rally and Xevi likes a lot, but I'm also looking forward to New Zealand and Corsica."
How difficult do you think it will be to adapt to a new model of WRC car?
XP - "I don't see it too much as a problem. I've done two full days of testing in the Impreza so far, about 300km in Wales and about the same on the German asphalt roads around Trier, and the car felt good. I'm pretty happy that we have a good base set-up for those two events now and I hope that we'll get the same for Finland when we test there this coming Sunday."
How do you feel about your first event in Finland?
XP - "It's certainly not the easiest rally to start with, but I like the fast stages and I like the country. The Finnish people are very welcoming and friendly and they show a lot of support for the rally."
And what do you hope to achieve by the end of this season?
XP - "For me it's all about learning and development. I would like to improve my performance as much as possible at every rally and continue to improve into next year – that's the main thing."
Finally, Xevi Amigo, you have worked with a few drivers in the past, what makes Pons so special?
XA - "Xevi has the capacity to continue improving. Some drivers reach their maximum potential very quickly and then go on to stay at the same level. But Xevi has taken his time and every day, every kilometre he's improving, moving forward. With a little more time and the backing of the factory team I'm sure it won't be long before he will be up there at the very top level."
Source Subaru World Rally Team
