Xavier Lázaro finished today’s fourth round of the WSK Super Master Series in 17th place in the OKJ category. At South Garda Karting, the official DR driver once again reached the category Final, where he delivered a recovery drive from the back of the field, starting 28th and gaining 11 positions over the 14 laps of the race.
On the road to the Final, things initially did not go well for Xavier Lázaro, as he was hit by rivals in the first two heats. In the first, he was spun around while fighting for a top-10 position, dropping to 28th, but still managed to recover 10 places before the checkered flag. In the second, he ended up off track at the same corner, once again after contact from another driver. The results in the final two heats helped salvage the situation, where he finished 14th and ninth.
This morning, with a high-level performance in Pre-Final A, Xavier Lázaro climbed from 20th to finish fourth. Later, in the Final, starting from 28th, he produced another recovery drive from the back of the field, showing great maturity and composure to finish in 17th place.
There Wasn’t Much More Possible in Qualifying
With 85 drivers present for this fourth round of the WSK Super Master Series, positioning in Qualifying was crucial. Xavier Lázaro performed well in the session and managed to extract the maximum possible from the official DR kart powered by a Modena engine. However, he was around six tenths off pole position, which resulted in the 13th fastest time in his group, corresponding to 37th overall in the OKJ category.
Starting roughly in the middle of the pack for each of the four heats, everything was still open for Xavier Lázaro to secure a place in the Final. That was the main objective heading into these WSK Super Master Series appearances, as completing as many racing laps as possible is essential for learning and developing in the category.
Final at Risk After Two Heats
The opening phase of the four heats in Lonato was disastrous for Xavier Lázaro. In the first heat, despite getting off the line as well as possible from the outside of the track, he began gaining positions during the race. However, as he was preparing to enter the top 10, he was hit by a rival and dropped to 28th. He managed to recover somewhat but could not climb higher than 18th, three positions below his starting spot.
The situation worsened significantly in Heat 2. Starting from 16th, the young driver from Várzea de Sintra once again began cautiously to gain positions. However, during the second lap, he was hit by another rival at the same corner where the incident had occurred in the previous race. This time, the damage to the kart was severe, forcing him to retire.
Xavier Lázaro went into Heat 3 aware that reaching the Final was already unlikely, but the official DR driver still gave his all on track. Delivering the best race possible and starting from 15th, he finished in 14th place.
In the final race of this phase, the Portuguese driver needed a strong result and went after exactly that. Starting again from 15th, he drove aggressively, consistently gaining positions. He achieved a solid finish in ninth place, putting him in the middle of the pack for his Pre-Final and just three positions away from securing a spot in the Final.
A Strong Pre-Final
Starting from 20th position in Pre-Final A, Xavier Lázaro went on the attack as soon as the green light went out. On the very first lap, he gained four positions. Delivering his best race so far and showing remarkable composure, he climbed steadily through a pack that was sometimes overly aggressive. With the right mindset and consistently strong pace in the official DR kart, he completed another impressive race with maturity and calm, finishing the 14 laps in a brilliant seventh place — 13 positions higher than his starting spot. However, as three drivers ahead were penalized for front-nose damage, Xavier Lázaro moved up to fourth place. The race was extremely chaotic at the front, middle, and back of the field, but Xavier Lázaro drove intelligently and skillfully, extracting the best possible result. With this merit, he secured his spot on the 36-car grid for the Final.
Keeping Composed in the Final
The OKJ Final got off to the worst possible start, as just two corners after the start, an accident involved nine karts. It all happened right behind Xavier Lázaro, and there was initial concern that two of the drivers involved might have been seriously hurt, but fortunately, it was just a scare. After about 20 minutes of waiting, the race was restarted, and Xavier Lázaro, starting from 28th, delivered another strong performance in Lonato. Over the 14 laps, the Portuguese driver drove consistently, steadily gaining positions to finish 17th. In those 14 laps, he gained 11 places — a remarkable achievement in what is currently the most competitive category in the WSK.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
