Debuting in the X30 Mini, Xavier Lázaro had his first competitive experience in what will be his category in 2021 today in Portimão. Taking advantage of the opportunity to debut in competition during the late dispute of the 2020 Portugal Karting Cup, Xavier Lázaro has already shown good signs of what his performance could be in this new competitive challenge.
Right in the timed practice sessions held during the morning, Lázaro drove the Kart Republic from Cabo Júnior Team (CJT) to the 4th best time among the 12 present drivers. His lap time of 1m08.911 left him less than half a second behind the pole position holder, on one of the most complex and challenging tracks in our country.
With both qualifying heats for the X30 Mini held today, Xavier Lázaro could already feel the toughness of this new challenge, in one of the most competitive categories present at the Kartódromo Internacional do Algarve (KIA) this weekend. Clearly, in this first experience, the performance was better than the results, with the driver from Várzea de Sintra finishing 11th and 7th in the two races. Very competitive and determined on track, aware that in this category and on the Portimão circuit, the pace is conditioned by aerodynamics, Xavier Lázaro was always quick to ensure he was in the slipstream of other drivers, but his inexperience ultimately affected the results, as he was penalized in both races (one for leaving the corridors at the start and another for damage to the nose of his Kart Republic).
"I can't help but be very happy with Xavier's performance today", stated his father, Vasco Lázaro, at the end of the day. "Being within half a second of the fastest time in the timed sessions, on the most challenging track we have in Portugal, shows how strong 'Xavi' was today. He ended up with two penalties, but that was pure inexperience, something that will be worked on a lot during the season".
Tomorrow, the Pre-Final and Final of the category will be contested. Here are all the results from today.
