Baja Portalegre 2024 image gallery available here
Weekend of success and improvement for Eduard Pons. The driver from Lleida completed an epic Baja Portalegre 500 in which he went from nothing to everything to finish seventh in the Challenger category -formerly T3- and a very valuable victory among the drivers who follow the World Championship. This result allowed him to take the lead of the FIA World Cup Lowlanders with an advantage of 19 points over his immediate pursuer, Khalid Aljafla.
In a very tough and demanding race such as the Baja Portalegre, the skill of the drivers and consistency were key to overcome the course. Constant rain, mud and dense fog turned the competition into a real survival race. Added to this were the technical problems of the BBR Motorsport Taurus T3 Max, which affected the brakes and engine throughout the event, forcing the driver from Lleida to give his best to bring the car to the finish line.
With Oriol Mena in the right-hand seat temporarily replacing Jaume Betriu, Pons once again demonstrated from the start that he is a clear candidate for the world title. However, the rally did not start very favorably for him. On Friday, during the short 5-kilometer timed prologue, mechanical problems delayed him to 12th place in Challenger (3rd among the drivers entered in the FIA World Cup Lowlanders). That same day, in the only special stage of the first stage, of 60 km, he continued with the difficulties and finished 14th in his category (and again 3rd among the World Cup drivers), a result that, without being the expected, allowed him to save the situation to continue fighting the next day.
“We suffered some setbacks in the Taurus that made the race even more difficult. However, we were able to deal with them and overcome a tough first special stage, in which we fought against the elements and were able to close the first day well positioned,” Pons recounted.
Saturday's stage, the longest, with 300 km against the clock, was another test of endurance for the competitors. Fog, rain and river floods complicated the passage of the vehicles through the two special stages. Despite these adverse conditions, the solid pace of the Pons Rallysport team, added to the abandonment in the final stages of their two direct rivals for the title, allowed Pons / Mena to score a second place in SS2 and a first in SS3 to end up taking the victory in Challenger among the World Championship drivers and finish in a meritorious 17th position overall in the car category.
“This was my third participation in Portalegre and, without a doubt, the year with the most extreme weather conditions. Physically it was very demanding, but I keep the fact that I took the car to the finish line. We won our category and are now leaders with a good lead, so the balance is positive. Now we have to prepare ourselves thoroughly for the last three races of the season and try to take the championship title to Lleida”, said the driver.
After the Portuguese event, the last one in Europe, Eduard Pons' next stop in the FIA Lowland World Cup will be the Qatar International Baja, to be held from October 30 to November 2, where he will try to extend his lead at the top of the standings.
Automatic translation of the Spanish version
Source: Pons Rallysport / Mediagé Comunicación
Photo: Rally-Raid Network / ImagensDesportivas.pt
Disclaimer:
As a service to the sport we all love and follow, Rally-Raid Network posts numerous media releases from a wide variety of sources on our website. Due to the large number, and some times short time available, it is nearly impossible to review each public release. These articles are written by reporters or press officers who work for various organizers, teams, drivers, riders, and other parties, and they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Rally-Raid Network.
