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
Hoje de manhã, o piloto da DR largou do 18º lugar para a Pré-Final B. Se o posicionamento de largada já não era o melhor, o facto de estar do lado de fora na abordagem para as primeiras duas curvas ainda dificultava mais a quem precisava de uma excelente corrida. Para esta prova, de 15 voltas, a DR decidiu jogar uma cartada, optando por colocar pneus novos no kart de Xavier Lázaro. O piloto esteve ao seu melhor nível, desde o arranque. Foi mostrando o seu melhor ritmo do fim de semana, eficiente e determinado na hora de ganhar posições. No final da prova, Xavier Lázaro terminou num fantástico sétimo lugar, tendo ainda estabelecido a volta mais rápida da corrida (54.283s). O jovem português é com certeza um dos mais ‘pequenitos’ ao volante de um kart da OKN-Júnior, mas é muito bravo em pista. Foi em busca de um melhor posicionamento na Final, feito que foi amplamente conseguido.
Unlucky in the Final
Xavier Lázaro sabia que apenas uma corrida de ataque o faria ganhar posições. Foi isso mesmo que aconteceu, com o português a sair de 25º e a concluir a primeira volta no top 22. Ainda na primeira volta, acabou por ser tocado por um adversário, que lhe arrancou a carenagem lateral esquerda do DR. Xavier Lázaro recebeu a bandeira preta técnica e de imediato ‘levantou o pé’, dirigindo-se para o Parque Fechado, dando por concluída a sua prova, numa altura em que já era 18º.
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
