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.
“O balanço da prestação do Xavier nesta etapa do campeonato é muito positivo, estou mesmo muito satisfeito com aquilo que vi este fim de semana no Bombarral”,the father, Vasco Lázaro, stated. “Nós preparámos muito bem esta prova e acho que isso mexeu um pouco com a cabeça do Xavier no sábado de manhã, acabando por o prejudicar nos treinos cronometrados. Falei um pouco com ele e à tarde nas corridas parecia outro, motivado e sobretudo muito focado. No Domingo já esteve mais forte. Acabou sempre por partir para as corridas do pior lado da pista, ficando condicionado em termos de posição e por isso mesmo perdeu lugares. Ainda assim, foi super combativo e conseguiu terminar todas as provas sem penalizações, algo que valorizo muito nesta temporada de aprendizagem. Estou muito otimista para o futuro, o Xavier está com a mentalidade certa, está cada vez mais forte”.
Photos: Hellofoto
