Xavier Lázaro had an unfortunate day today in the dispute of the fourth and final round of the WSK Open Series at the Circuito Internazionale Napoli in Sarno, Italy. The DR driver once again struggled on the most crucial day of the competition. After performing at a very high level in the heats yesterday, consistently making comebacks and achieving very positive classifications, Xavier Lázaro couldn't confirm today the legitimate expectations of leaving Sarno with perhaps his best result of the season.
Starting on the Wrong Foot in Qualifying
Things hadn't started well for the driver from Várzea de Sintra when he collided with an opponent in the Qualifying session on Friday. The consequence of this unforeseen event resulted in the last time in the Mini Sub-10 session (30th time), with the lap in 1m09.314s leaving the Portuguese driver more than six seconds behind the pole position holder, Italian Lorenzo Di Pietroantonio (Birel).
In the first of the three Heats, the DR driver was forced to start from the 30th position, but with a blistering pace, he performed at the highest level, finishing the seven-lap race in an impressive 11th place, overtaking 19 opponents on the track.
Starting from 11th for the 2nd Heat, the first of two contested on Saturday, Xavier Lázaro had another very good performance, finishing the race in sixth place, overtaking five opponents in the process. Motivated by the competitiveness displayed on the track, the nine-year-old started from sixth for the 3rd Heat, where he was less efficient. He was in the top six until the last lap, finishing the race in ninth place.
From Dream to Nightmare in the Pre-Final and Final
With high motivation for today, Xavier Lázaro started the Pre-Final in eighth place. The driver knew that the important thing was to take his DR to the end, in the best possible position, and, above all, it was imperative to avoid any setbacks, such as an incident. However, being a highly competitive driver and knowing that today he truly had top-notch pace, Xavier Lázaro raced in the Pre-Final. One lap from the end, in fourth place, he tried to overtake the third-placed and Open Series leader, Italian Leonardo Gorski (Parolin). The Italian driver spared no effort to defend his position, and Xavier Lázaro, without any need, forced the overtaking maneuver, ultimately going off the track and subsequently retiring.
Based on the points obtained during the races leading up to the Final, Xavier Lázaro started the decisive race in 12th place, on the sixth row of the starting grid. The driver from Várzea de Sintra started with a strong desire to move forward, but right at the start, he left his lane, resulting in a three-second penalty. Xavier Lázaro was very strong in the early stages of the race and even occupied the ninth position. However, in the heat of various disputes, he was pushed off the track by an opponent, ending up sinking in the standings, eventually retiring four laps from the end when he was already in last place.
The Portuguese driver once again was not successful on the decisive day of a competition, with some mistakes and a lot of bad luck mixed in. Learning at this level is tremendously demanding, and Xavier Lázaro still needs to be developed in various aspects of his on-track process so that in the future, he can efficiently overcome the tough moments, leveraging his talent.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
