Xavier Lázaro esteve perto de fazer história para o karting português, este fim de semana na segunda etapa do ano para a WSK Open Series, no transalpino Circuito de Cremona. Na cidade originária do lendário violino Stradivari, o jovem piloto português assumiu-se como um dos mais talentosos da Mini Sub-10 e esteve bem perto de fazer ‘musica’, disputando a Final e sendo protagonista na mesma, na luta pelas posições cimeiras.
O ‘menino’ de nove anos, parte integrante da estrutura oficial da DR, liderada pelo penta campeão mundial de karting, Danilo Rossi, esteve ao mais alto nível durante todo o fim de semana, sendo o quinto mais rápido no Qualifying.
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 preparou bem a sua estreia competitiva no renovado Circuito de Cremona, pista no norte de Itália que pretende manter viva na região próxima de Milão a tradição kartista imortalizada no agora extinto Kartódromo de Parma. Confortável num traçado que se revelou do seu agrado, registou o quinto melhor tempo do Qualifying, com a volta em 53,930 segundos. A pole tinha sido possível, não tivesse Xavier Lázaro empurrado na sua melhor volta aquele que com a ‘ajuda’ do português se colocou na primeira posição, Niccolo Perico. Menos de uma centésima separou o português do piloto italiano.
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.
‘Recital de Condução’ Quase Perfeito
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.
Visto que a chuva era ‘tímida’, a direção de prova deu início à corrida e todos foram com pneu slick. No entanto, algumas zonas da pista já estavam bastante escorregadias, o que trouxe logo ‘vítimas’. Confortável a competir nestas condições, Xavier Lázaro que largou em quinto, era logo nas primeiras voltas um confortável segundo classificado, a curta distância do líder. À entrada para a última volta, a chuva tornou-se muito mais intensa e o português começou a colocar o líder sob pressão. No segundo setor do traçado, o líder da prova perdeu o controlo do seu kart e isso assustou o jovem da DR, que não evitou também sair de pista. No entanto, dos dois, Xavier Lázaro foi o que demorou mais tempo a regressar ao traçado. Um pequeno momento de falta de sorte acabou por afetar o piloto da DR, que ainda assim terminou em nono.
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
