Xavier Lázaro is out of the final day of racing at the Valencia round of the Champions of the Future, an event organised by RGMMC that precedes the second round of the CIK-FIA Karting European Championship.
The Portuguese driver and DR factory driver, representing five-time world champion Danilo Rossi, was unable to convert the pace and performance shown in practice into results over the two race days. As a result, he did not secure a place in today’s Super Heats, which would have determined a potential spot in the OK Junior Final.
For the first time since becoming a factory driver for DR, Xavier Lázaro failed to reach a Pre-Final at an international event, making this a result clearly below his objectives and ambitions.
There is still much work and reflection ahead for DR in order to raise the level ahead of next week’s return to the Kartódromo Internacional Lucas Guerrero for the second round of the CIK-FIA Karting European Championship.
Strong Showing in Practice Sessions
The Champions of the Future event in Valencia was well prepared by DR and Xavier Lázaro. The driver and team spent several days testing at the Kartódromo Internacional Lucas Guerrero in the week leading up to the event, and Lázaro had also competed at the circuit in a recent race. Throughout the test days—where he rejoined most of his rivals in the category, including all the main contenders—the Portuguese driver was consistently among the fastest on track, a level of performance he maintained during the official practice sessions held earlier this week.
In Qualifying, the Portuguese driver was unfortunate on his best lap, but still posted a respectable time, ending the session in 51st place, around seven tenths off pole position (55.198s). Based on the pace shown and data analysis, Lázaro had the potential to set a lap time in the 54-second range, which would have placed him among the top 25. It is also worth noting that a total of 96 drivers were entered in the OK Junior category for this Champions of the Future round in Valencia.
Everything Changed in the Heats
With such a large field—where only 36 drivers advance to the Final—it is to be expected that the heats often resemble a true battle, as everyone is fighting for the same objective and the level of competitiveness in the OK Junior category is exceptionally high.
However, Xavier Lázaro is regarded as one of the benchmark drivers in the category, and as such, he is always expected to be present in the decisive moments and in the most important race. In Valencia, however, the Portuguese driver once again failed to reach the Final—and this time did not even secure a place in the Super Heat (Pre-Final).
The young driver from Várzea de Sintra contested five heats, struggling to be competitive on track in each of them and, in most cases, being involved sooner or later in contact with other drivers.
Na primeira eliminatória que disputou, até partiu bem, mas rapidamente foi empurrado para fora de pista por um adversário. Manteve-se na prova, mas terminou apenas na 27ª posição, 10 lugares abaixo de onde largou. Na eliminatória seguinte, acabou por ter um dos seus melhores resultados, largando de 17º, para terminar em 19º. Ficou no entanto visível que em corrida, o seu ritmo não permitia muito melhor que a posição obtida. Na eliminatória 3 largou bem e chegou a rodar em nono, mas com os pilotos à sua frente numa luta ‘doida’ acabou por ficar preso e pouco depois foi abalroado por um adversário, caindo vários lugares para concluir de novo em 19º.
Rain arrived in Valencia to further complicate matters, and in Heat 4, Xavier Lázaro was hit by another competitor, forcing him to retire with six laps remaining, which resulted in a classification of 26th out of 30. In the final heat, already aware that a place in the Super Heat was no longer achievable, the Portuguese driver once again struggled for pace, losing ten positions from the start and eventually finishing in 28th place.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
