Xavier Lázaro raced today in the first stage of the ACI Italian Karting Championship, held at the Sicilian Circuito Internazionale Triscina. In the event that marked his return to Mini Gr. 3, the Portuguese driver secured qualification for the two decisive races of the category, but ultimately had a performance below his expectations. After a good start in Race 1, Lázaro briefly held the fifth position, but a lack of speed caused him to be overtaken by several drivers. He finished the race in 14th place, three positions below where he had started. For Race 2, starting from the outside of the track, Xavier Lázaro dropped to 24th in the first corners of Triscina, managed to recover to 16th place, but lost a position on the last lap, finishing in 17th.
After being the ninth fastest in Qualifying, among the 52 present drivers, subsequently finishing the two heats he contested in 10th and sixth positions, the SM Racing driver had high hopes of fighting for top positions in today's two decisive races. Although in the two most important races of the category this weekend, Xavier Lázaro did not confirm the good indicators shown in Qualifying and Heats, he leaves Triscina satisfied with his performance.
Strong in the Mini Among the Most Experienced
Para a totalidade do ACI Campeonato Italiano de Karting, Xavier Lázaro irá competir na Mini Gr. 3. Trata-se da Mini onde se encontram os pilotos mais experientes da categoria. Quando se iniciou a competir na Mini fora de Portugal, há dois anos, o jovem da Várzea de Sintra já encontrou muitos dos pilotos com que correu este fim de semana, embora na altura com apenas oito anos fosse verdadeiramente um ‘rookie’.
More experienced and competitive, Xavier Lázaro quickly showed that he was fully prepared for this phase of Mini Gr. 3. Always among the fastest, behind the wheel of the Gillard/TM, the Portuguese driver secured the ninth-best time in Qualifying, just 0.208 seconds off the pole position.
In both Heats, Xavier Lázaro always started from the outside (6th) and while in the first one he couldn't do better than 10th, he had his best performance in Heat 2, where he secured 6th place, showing himself comfortable competing for top positions in a highly competitive category. Gradually, the SM Racing young driver is solidifying himself as a consistent competitor among the strongest.
Temporary Break in Pace on Sunday Affects Result
No dia de hoje, Xavier Lázaro largou para a Corrida 1 do 11º lugar. O português partiu que ‘nem uma bala’ e rapidamente se colocou no top cinco, dando a ideia de que disputaria a vitória. No entanto, com o decorrer da prova, foi perdendo velocidade, sendo ultrapassado por vários adversários. No final das oito voltas de prova, o piloto da SM Racing acabou por não conseguir melhor que a 14ª posição.
Para a Corrida 2, largou do 14º lugar. Do lado de fora, o piloto português sofreu muito na primeira volta, caindo para a 24ª posição. Sem ‘virar a cara à luta’, Xavier Lázaro foi em busca de um melhor resultado e conseguiu mais ou menos rapidamente chegar ao 16º lugar. Depois, acabou condicionado pela condução demasiado defensiva de Nikita Botte e na derradeira volta da corrida ainda perdeu um lugar, terminando em 17º.
Despite a less than stellar Sunday, Xavier Lázaro leaves Triscina satisfied with his performance and always grateful for the work of SM Racing over the various days in Sicilian soil.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
