Xavier Lázaro raced this weekend in Franciacorta in the fifth and final round of the ACI Italian Karting Championship. In the Mini Sub-10 class, the Portuguese driver who recently turned 10 years old, was once again at a very good level, showing himself to be one of the strongest in the field, perhaps the one who has improved the most in this class in 2023.
After having started to stand out in Qualifying, where he came out with the second best lap time in his series and third in the general classification of the Mini Sub-10, among 38 participants, Xavier Lázaro showed that he was coming to the circuit in the province of Brescia to fight for top positions.
In the Heat 1, the driver from Várzea de Sintra finished in second place in a race in which he led and in which he achieved the fastest race lap (55.617 seconds). The young man from DR reached the end of the race 0.910 seconds behind the winner, the Italian Lorenzo Di Pietrantonio (Parolin).
In Heat 2, despite Xavier Lázaro having lost some positions at the start of the race, he quickly returned to his best pace, finishing in the top three, just 0.610 seconds behind the winner, the Spaniard Daniel Miron Lorente (Parolin).
With the results obtained in these two qualifiers, Xavier Lázaro secured fourth place on the starting grid for the first of the two races that define the final classification. In Race 1, the Portuguese was on the outside and was not happy at the start. When braking for the first corner, on the dirtiest side of the track, he lost traction and struggled with slight oversteer, dropping to 23rd place. With excellent pace, Xavier Lázaro started the race from the back to the front, finishing the 11-lap race in a positive 10th place.
For Race 2, the Portuguese driver started from 10th on the grid and again on the outside. This time, Xavier Lázaro started better, again dropping two positions in the first lap. Always one of the fastest drivers on the track, the young man from DR once again climbed positions in the race, reaching a top six spot. On the last lap, with the leader managing a comfortable gap, Xavier Lázaro remained in sixth but in a group that was competing for second place. In the final corner of the track, when the Portuguese driver was looking for an opportunity to climb the rankings, he was surprised by an opponent who pushed him to the outside of the track, which caused him to drop to eighth, position in which he finished the race.
In the final results of his participation in the ACI Italian Karting Championship, Xavier Lázaro concluded the Mini Sub-10 season in ninth place, with 106 points.
Great Evolution Reinforces Motivation
Concluding his participation in the entire ACI Italian Karting Championship with ninth place in the Mini Sub-10 class, it is important to analyze Xavier Lázaro's performance. Always evolving, the young 10-year-old driver overcame challenges at each round. Initially shy and gradually trying to increase his level of performance, the DR 'pupil' of five-time world champion Danilo Rossi, overcame insecurities and the natural immaturity typical of his age, first battling for a spot in the first half of the standings, and then when found himself fighting with the best for the top positions.
In a year of competition in the fiercely contested Italian championship, visited by drivers from all over the world and with major manufacturers attending each event, Xavier Lázaro was truly put to the test, first experiencing the misfortunes of mechanical problems, then having to deal with the pressure of battling for the top opsitions and then experiencing the joy of being the first Portuguese driver to reach the podium in a race of the Mini Sub 10 class, when he was second in Race 1 of the Val Vibrata round.
At the conclusion of the competition, with this weekend's round, held in Franciacorta, Xavier Lázaro is a certainty among the great names of the Mini Sub-10 class, one of the fastest drivers, one of the most consistent in the top positions and someone who, with his performance on the track earned him the respect of his opponents and the admiration of the paddock. The Portuguese driver's results during the second half of the season hint at the possibility that his good performances will come again in the future, as he becomes stronger, more motivated and more experienced.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency