In his first season driving an X30 Mini kart in the Portuguese Karting Championship, Xavier Lázaro demonstrates constant improvement, not only in competitive terms but also in his mindset on the track. The youngest driver in the category, who moved up after being crowned national champion in the Initiation class, has been adhering closely to the plan for a season that has always been considered a transition period.
At the Kartódromo Internacional da Região Oeste (KIRO) in Bombarral, the venue for the fourth stage of the competition organized by ACDME, Xavier Lázaro delivered his best performance in the championship so far. After showcasing a very strong performance on Saturday, with two races where he was combative and efficient, overcoming the challenges of starting from the grid's most difficult trajectory, on Sunday he continued to show himself as a fighter and increasingly comfortable behind the wheel of the Kart Republic from Cabo Júnior Team.
He was competitive during the morning practice sessions, but during the timed qualifying session, he was hindered by an opponent who entered the track and positioned himself in front of the Várzea de Sintra driver, ultimately slowing him down on what would have been his ideal lap. Nevertheless, he managed to secure a lap time of 52.657s, corresponding to the eighth-best time.
In both races, Xavier was consistently very competitive, although he ended up starting from the even grid positions in both, meaning from the worst side of the Bombarral track. Nevertheless, he managed to be very strong throughout the races, giving the impression that with a different starting grid position, he could have achieved better results. In the second qualifying heat, he finished 10th after starting from eighth, and in Race 2, he finished 11th after starting from 10th place.
"The assessment of Xavier's performance in this stage of the championship is very positive; I am indeed very pleased with what I saw this weekend in Bombarral",the father, Vasco Lázaro, stated. "We prepared this race very well, and I think that affected Xavier's mindset a bit on Saturday morning, ultimately hindering him in the timed practices. I talked to him a bit, and in the afternoon during the races, he seemed like a different person, motivated, and above all, very focused. On Sunday, he was even stronger. He always ended up starting the races from the worst side of the track, which conditioned his position and consequently caused him to lose places. However, he was extremely combative and managed to finish all the races without penalties, something I highly value in this learning season. I am very optimistic about the future; Xavier has the right mindset and is getting stronger and stronger".
Photos: Hellofoto
