Xavier Lázaro was unlucky today in the Final of the second round of the ACI Sport Italian Karting Championship, at the Leopard Circuit in Viterbo. The Portuguese driver, who had a very complicated weekend, started the OKN-Junior Final from 25th position. With a good start, Xavier Lázaro gained several positions, but still on the first lap, he was hit by a rival, which damaged his kart and forced him to retire with a Technical Black Flag, at a moment when he was already up to 18th place.
After not achieving a result in Qualifying (22nd) that would allow him to start the Heats from the front positions, Xavier Lázaro ended up being heavily limited in his pursuit of the best possible position in the category Final. The Heats did not go well, with the Portuguese driver finishing 17th, 12th, and retiring in the last race before the Pre-Final.
This morning, he competed in Pre-Final B, where he delivered his best performance of the entire weekend, moving up from 18th on the grid to finish in a brilliant seventh place, adding to his performance by setting the fastest lap of the race.
Xavier Lázaro returns to competition from June 13 to 15 in Sarno, for the third round of the ACI Sport Italian Karting Championship.
Weaker Qualifying Result Affected the Entire Weekend
The Qualifying session is a very important aspect of a competition weekend, whether here in the ACI Sport Italian Karting Championship or in any other event in this sport, since its result determines the starting positions for the Heats.
In Viterbo, Xavier Lázaro was not efficient in the timed session, as he ended up going out on track in the middle of a group of other drivers, unable to find his best rhythm, even though he had a quite competitive DR/Modena/MG package. By setting no better than the 22nd fastest time among 61 drivers, the young driver from Várzea de Sintra found himself placed in the middle of the pack for the start of the three Heats he competed in.
In Heat 1, he managed to be strong on track and even crossed the finish line in 11th place, but after making slight contact in a battle that damaged the nose of his DR, he was penalized and dropped to 17th position. In Heat 2, he started 11th and fought hard, having one of the fastest karts on the track, even reaching eighth place. However, since the chassis wasn’t at its best and was slipping too much, Xavier Lázaro could only finish in 12th position. Heat 3 left the young Portuguese driver on the edge of qualifying for the Final. During the 11-lap race, while trying to get as far forward as possible, Xavier Lázaro took quite a risk. After making a slight mistake on one of the track’s corners, widening his racing line, he became vulnerable to an attack from a rival. Running in eighth and unwilling to lose the position, Lázaro defended himself, and both drivers ended up touching and going off track. With this outcome, the combined points from the three heats meant that Xavier Lázaro needed a strong performance in the Pre-Final.
Pre-Final Was a Highlight Moment During the Weekend
This morning, the DR driver started from 18th place for Pre-Final B. Although the starting position wasn’t ideal, being on the outside approaching the first two corners made it even more challenging for someone needing an excellent race. For this 15-lap event, DR decided to play a strategic card by fitting new tires on Xavier Lázaro’s kart. The driver performed at his best level right from the start, showing his best pace of the weekend—efficient and determined to gain positions. At the end of the race, Xavier Lázaro finished in a fantastic seventh place and also set the fastest lap of the race (54.283s). The young Portuguese driver is certainly one of the smallest behind the wheel of an OKN-Junior kart, but he’s very brave on track. He went after a better position for the Final, a goal he achieved impressively.
Unlucky in the Final
Xavier Lázaro knew that only an attacking race would help him gain positions. That’s exactly what happened, with the Portuguese driver starting from 25th and finishing the first lap inside the top 22. Still on the first lap, he was touched by a rival, who tore off the left side fairing of his DR. Xavier Lázaro received the technical black flag and immediately ‘lifted off the throttle,’ heading to Parc Fermé, ending his race when he was already in 18th place.
This ultimately was not the desired ending to a weekend that was indeed very difficult, but also a huge learning experience for Xavier Lázaro, who knows he is in a transitional year, learning the specifics of a new category.
Now follow a short break for the Portuguese driver, before returning to Italy from June 13 to 15 to compete in Sarno in the third round of the ACI Sport Italian Karting Championship.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
