Xaus needs more power

Hard charging Spaniard Ruben Xaus claimed his best result of the year with a fourth at Donington and reckons with more power he could go all the way.

After crashing out of a safe fifth in race one, Xaus asked his team for drastic changes after losing out on acceleration to the fours in a big way.

With no more bhp to come from his Sterilgarda Ducati, the team completely changed the gearing, taking three teeth of the back sprocket in an effort to improve acceleration.

The move raised the overall gearing which meant the Spaniard only used four gears as opposed to five around the British circuit.

Xaus said: “I changed the gearing. Compared to the four cylinders we are losing a lot out of the slow corners.

“Biaggi passed me and then he was gone. I asked my team for more, I need more power top be able to go with the front guys.

“We’re down on power compared to the Xerox Ducati team. They use a different type of fuel and a different exhaust and everything is made to suit that engine so this is an area where we need to work.

And the 29-year-old added: “We’re five bhp down on Ducati so you can imagine what we’re missing compared to the four cylinders.

“Over the first half of the track I can catch the fours, but as soon as we get to the Esses and the hairpins they’re gone. Even though the lap times are similar if you lose time here it is impossible to fight.”