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
Concluindo a sua participação na totalidade do ACI Campeonato Italiano de Karting com o nono lugar da Mini Sub-10, é importante fazer um balanço ao desempenho de Xavier Lázaro. Sempre em crescendo, o jovem piloto de 10 anos foi a cada etapa superando desafios. Inicialmente tímido e tentando gradualmente subir o seu nível de desempenho, o ‘pupilo’ da DR do pentacampeão mundial Danilo Rossi, superou inseguranças e a natural imaturidade própria da sua idade, que se foi evidenciando primeiro no meio da tabela de cada corrida e depois quando se viu a lutar com os melhores pelas posições cimeiras.
Num ano de competição no disputado campeonato italiano, visitado por pilotos de todo o mundo e com os grandes construtores presentes, Xavier Lázaro ‘provou’ desde as infelicidades de problemas mecânicos à alegria de ser o primeiro piloto português a subir ao pódio numa corrida da Mini Sub-10, quando foi segundo classificado na Corrida 1 da etapa de Val Vibrata.
Na conclusão da competição, com a etapa este fim de semana disputada em Franciacorta, Xavier Lázaro é uma certeza entre os grandes valores da Mini Sub-10, um dos pilotos mais rápidos, um dos mais consistentes nas posições cimeiras e alguém que com o seu desempenho em pista foi granjeando o respeito dos seus adversários e a admiração do ‘paddock’. O piloto português deixa antever que muito bons desempenhos virão novamente no futuro, à medida que se vai consolidando mais forte, motivado e experiente.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
