Present at the Kartódromo Internacional de Braga (KIB) to participate in the grand Karting Festival in Portugal, the Cup of Portugal in the sport, Xavier Lázaro carried with him the hope of competing for victory in the X30 Mini category, while reinforcing the excellent competitive indicators he demonstrated a few weeks ago in Bombarral during the final round of the Toyota Karting Portugal Championship. However, numerous technical problems and some unfortunate coincidences made the passage of the Várzea de Sintra driver through Braga something he will not remember with fondness in the near future.
Technical Problems That Came to Stay
Logo desde as primeiras sessões de treinos livres, se percebeu que este poderia vir a ser um fim de semana problemático para Xavier Lázaro, na disputa da edição deste ano da Taça de Portugal de Karting, prova organizada pela ACDME (Associação dos Comissários de Desportos Motorizados do Estoril). O piloto de nove anos, acabado de chegar de mais uma presença internacional, na WSK Open Cup (Lonato), cedo começou a ter problemas de vária ordem no seu equipamento: falta de potência num dos dois motores que trouxe até Braga, constantes avarias num dos carburadores, entre outras ‘maleitas’ que se foram evidenciando.
The Qualifying session seemed to timidly mark a turning point in a positive direction, as Xavier Lázaro had the DR working in perfect conditions and showed good partials in his attempts to set a good time. However, in the two laps where he aimed for the pole position, he consistently had slower opponents on the track, which ended up compromising his goals. At the end of the session, the sixth-best time, 0.136 seconds behind the pole position, fell short of what Xavier Lázaro intended and was capable of achieving.
Going Backward
The first Qualifying Heat highlighted the challenges that were hitting Xavier Lázaro hard. With the engine struggling to start before the race, the driver immediately began to feel a negative burden on his shoulders. When the equipment finally worked, it was evident during the race that the DR engine did not deliver the desired power. The driver started the race in the sixth position and kept losing places, ultimately finishing in 13th. Therefore, the second Qualifying Heat presented difficulties, but Xavier Lázaro managed to be competitive to some extent, finishing in eighth place. There was still an effort to resolve the many technical problems so that on Sunday, it would be possible to contend for victory.
Trabalhou-se muito para tentar que motor e carburador funcionassem nas melhores condições no Domingo, dia da disputa da Pré-Final e da Final, que determina ‘quem leva a Taça’. Na Pré-Final, Xavier Lázaro conseguiu melhorar ligeiramente as suas chances para ir em busca do desejado troféu. Terminando a corrida no sexto lugar, garantia um lugar nas três primeiras linhas da grelha de partida para a Final, o que na análise do que até aí se vinha passando nem era um mau resultado.
In the Final, Xavier Lázaro had a good start and immediately stayed close to the leaders, giving the impression that finally, at the most crucial moment, he had the equipment that could enable him to fight for victory. However, as the race progressed, once again, the DR engine began to lose performance, initially distancing the Várzea de Sintra driver from the battle for victory while placing him in a group where survival became essential. Amid many disputes and contacts, the driver ended up being penalized for damage to his kart, dropping from 6th place at the end of the race to 10th place in the final classification.
“Este foi um fim de semana em que basicamente tudo correu mal”, said the father of the driver, Vasco Lázaro. “Desde um dos motores que nitidamente não queria andar, a problemas elétricos e de carburação, de tudo nos aconteceu, além de no Qualifying ele ter mais uma vez visto as chances de boas voltas serem prejudicadas devido ao tráfego. Lutámos contra todos estes problemas e foi um pouco frustrante nunca ter sido possível ao Xavier lutar pelo melhor resultado. Não foi o final de época que queríamos em Portugal, mas não há mais nada a fazer, a não ser começar já a preparar a sua próxima prova em Itália”.
Photos: Hellofoto
