Xavier Lázaro came close to making history for Portuguese karting this weekend at the second leg of the year for the WSK Open Series at the Circuito de Cremona in Italy. In the city that is the birthplace of the legendary Stradivari violin, the young Portuguese driver established himself as one of the most talented in the Mini Sub-10 class and came very close to making 'music,' competing in the Final and being a protagonist in the fight for top positions.
The nine-year-old 'boy,' an integral part of the official DR team led by the five-time Karting world champion, Danilo Rossi, performed at the highest level throughout the weekend, being the fifth fastest in the Qualifying session.
In a race with fewer entries for the Sub-10 class, but with all the favorites present, Xavier Lázaro finished in third place in the first Heat, where he even led, and was fifth in Heat 2. In the final Heat before the Pre-Final, he finished eighth.
This morning, in the Pre-Final, the Portuguese driver took advantage of his skill in driving on slippery surfaces and consistently held the second position on a track made wet by the timid rain that started during the warm-up lap. On the final lap of the race, the rain intensified, and Xavier Lázaro went off track along with the leader, still finishing ninth.
In the Final, with the sun now shining, the driver from Várzea de Sintra started from fourth, from the worst side of the track, and ultimately couldn't maintain the position on the first lap, dropping to 11th. With a strong pace, Lázaro quickly entered the top 10, and when trying to overtake the eighth-placed driver, he made a mistake, colliding with his opponent, leading to both of them retiring from the race.
In this race in Cremona, for which the DR driver prepared adequately, his talent was clearly evident. Only a mistake, caused by inexperience in battling for positions at the front of the pack, prevented him from bringing a historic result to Portugal.
Almost Perfect Performance in Qualifying
Xavier Lázaro prepared well for his competitive debut at the renovated Cremona Circuit, a track in northern Italy that aims to keep alive the karting tradition immortalized in the now-extinct Kartódromo de Parma, near Milan. Comfortable on a track that suited him, he recorded the fifth-best time in Qualifying, with a lap time of 53.930 seconds. The pole position was within reach, had Xavier Lázaro not inadvertently assisted Niccolo Perico, who, with the 'help' of the Portuguese driver, secured the top spot. Less than a hundredth of a second separated the Portuguese driver from the Italian driver.
Fast and Competent in the Heats
The improvement of Xavier Lázaro behind the wheel of the Mini Sub-10 DR has been noticeable, and the increase in competitiveness in his on-track performance has become evident. This was well noted in the Heats this weekend, each of which felt like a Final, as Lázaro consistently raced against the strongest drivers in the class. In this leg of the Open Series, the number of participants was smaller than usual.
For the first time since competing in WSK, Xavier Lázaro led a Heat. It happened in Heat 1, where the Portuguese driver, starting from fifth, gained positions to take the lead. However, he couldn't maintain that position and ended up finishing in third.
In Heat 2, Xavier Lázaro held the second position but again lost a few places before the checkered flag, finishing in fifth but setting the fastest lap of the race.
In the final Heat, he started from fifth, gained positions, and eventually got involved in a collision while attacking the leader. The Portuguese driver stayed in the race but couldn't do better than finishing eighth.
Almost Perfect 'Driving Recital'
After yesterday's sunny weather at the Cremona Circuit, the morning today appeared dark with the presence of rain. With the Mini Sub-10 starting the Pre-Final program for the morning, it was during the warm-up lap for the nine-lap race that a light drizzle began, complicating the race dynamics.
Since the rain was 'timid,' the race officials started the race with all drivers using slick tires. However, some parts of the track were already quite slippery, causing immediate 'victims.' Comfortable competing in these conditions, Xavier Lázaro, who started in fifth, quickly became a comfortable second in the early laps, close to the leader. Entering the last lap, the rain became much more intense, and the Portuguese driver began to put pressure on the leader. In the second sector of the track, the race leader lost control of his kart, which startled the young DR driver. Unfortunately, Xavier Lázaro couldn't avoid going off the track as well. However, of the two, Xavier Lázaro took longer to return to the track. A brief stroke of bad luck affected the DR driver, who still finished in ninth.
An Error That Serves as a Great Learning Experience
With the accumulation of points determining the starting order in the Mini Sub-10 Final, Xavier Lázaro started from the fourth position. The Portuguese driver was on the worst side for the start at the Cremona Circuit and, at the beginning of the race, made the mistake of not defending his position against a determined group of opponents. Falling to 11th place, Lázaro did not give up and set out to recover. With half of the race still to go, he entered the top 10 and continued to climb positions. However, he made a mistake of inexperience at the highest level by not assessing the positioning of the karts in front of him when preparing to overtake Seba Eskandiari in the battle for seventh place. After positioning himself next to the Tonykart driver, Lázaro couldn't avoid colliding with the kart in front, being propelled into Eskandiari, and both were forced to retire. It was a mistake of inexperience at the worst possible time, tarnishing a weekend that bordered on perfection.
The Portuguese driver surely learned from this challenging moment and will turn the weakness it highlighted into a strength for the future.
Considering that Xavier Lázaro's next competition in Italy is from April 13 to 16 at the Seven Lakes Circuit, the DR driver will stay in Italy in the coming days to test in Castelletto di Branduzzo.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
