The past weekend was in many ways very different for Xavier Lázaro, considering his tender age of 7 years old. On one hand, it marked his return to competition with the national karting 'caravan' back on the tracks to fulfill the schedule from last year, where the Portuguese Karting Cup had not yet taken place. On the other hand, it was an enormous task entrusted to such a young driver: competing in two categories so different from each other.
Only those who are unfamiliar with competition in the youngest categories of karting fail to understand how difficult this sport is, with so much to learn, evolve, and process, considering the posture and mentality of children at such a young age. The level of difficulty increases exponentially when a 7-year-old is asked to compete in two categories so different in terms of the power of the engines used, the chassis, but above all, the driving required by the karts in the Initiation and X30 Mini classes in the same weekend. However, the magnitude of the challenge ended up highlighting Xavier Lázaro's performance in the 2020 Portuguese Karting Cup, held last weekend at the International Algarve Karting Circuit in Portimão.
“Tenho que realçar que a todos os níveis o desempenho do Xavier este fim de semana no Algarve foi notável”, said a very proud Vasco Lázaro (the driver's father) late Sunday afternoon. “Na nossa família todos temos noção que o desafio que lhe foi pedido este fim de semana era enorme, especialmente tendo em conta que ele é tão jovem. Basta analisarmos, por exemplo, o tamanho dele comparado com o do piloto que venceu a X30 Mini hoje, parecem de duas realidades completamente diferentes. O Xavier mal consegue empurrar o kart da X30 Mini” (laughs). “Pela forma combativa e entusiasmada com que ele se entregou a uma missão difícil, tenho que dizer que foi excelente a sua prestação, reforçada pelos resultados, a vitória na Iniciação e um top 6 na X30 Mini, sendo que este último que veio superar largamente as minhas expectativas”.
Victory in the Initiation Class Marks the End of a Cycle
As reigning National Champion in the Initiation class, Xavier Lázaro arrived at the International Algarve Karting Circuit with the mission/responsibility of concluding his presence in the category by achieving the so-called 'double win.' Even though he was not lucky in the engine draw, as the unit with the best performance went to another driver, the young racer from Várzea de Sintra did not lose motivation or focus on the ultimate goal. He was only beaten in the timed practices, where he had to settle for the 2nd best time. He won all qualifying heats, the Pre-Final, and the Final. Furthermore, he increased his superiority on the track with each race, only bothered by his main rival, Martim Gomes, in the 1st Qualifying Heat and the Final. With this result and especially with the performance he delivered, Xavier Lázaro confirmed himself as the strongest in the category in 2020.
“Vencer a Taça de Portugal sempre foi um sonho meu, mas a vontade de o fazer na Iniciação foi aumentando com a espera por esta prova”said Xavier Lázaro noticing that the arrival of this long-awaited weekend had been postponed several times due to restrictions applied to sporting events because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “Ainda me assustei um bocadinho quando não fui o melhor nos treinos cronometrados. Eu não fiquei com o melhor motor e isso acaba por ser uma grande desvantagem, mas a minha família motivou-me muito, o que ajudou a que eu estivesse ainda mais focado nas corridas. Fui ganhando confiança, cada vez a andar mais forte. Com este resultado pude realizar o meu sonho, mas agora já tenho outros” (laughs)
“Desempenho na X30 Mini Excedeu Todas as Expetativas”
Xavier Lázaro's debut in the X30 Mini class represented a true unknown in terms of results. Nevertheless, these were secondary since the important thing was to learn and evolve, which is indeed the goal for this entire upcoming season. The young 7-year-old is completely inexperienced in this new class where he will face challenges of a different level, with position disputes being much more frequent than in the Initiation class. Last weekend, Lázaro joined a field of 12 participants in the X30 Mini.
With the focus of his presence in Portimão on learning, Xavier Lázaro began to impress in the timed practices, emerging with the 4th best time. His lap of 1m08.911s left him just 0.446 seconds off the pole position, but the biggest challenge of his debut in the event was the races, and that became evident on Saturday afternoon during the two qualifying heats. Although competitive and spirited behind the wheel of the Kart Republic, Xavier Lázaro made his inexperience clear, as he ended up damaging the nose of his kart in the heat of some disputes, resulting in penalties in both races and a drop in several positions in the standings.
On Sunday, the decisive day of the event, with the Pre-Final and Final races, in addition to the races he also had to do in the Initiation class, Xavier Lázaro demonstrated focus and maturity that did not go unnoticed by anyone, as well as his enormous combativeness on the track. His best performance was indeed in the Final, where Lázaro climbed from 10th place to gain four positions in the race and finish 6th, a remarkable feat. Compared to the previous day, Xavier Lázaro maintained the ability to engage in disputes, the understanding that in the X30 Mini it is essential to draft with other drivers, especially in Portimão, all without damaging the nose of his kart even once. The evolution in such a short time in the category was obvious, as was the ability to think and execute his goals in the races. For such a young driver, this performance is impressive, especially considering that he had to navigate the complexity of driving two karts with such different characteristics.
“Aconteça o que acontecer, é importante deixar claro que este ano é para o Xavier aprender e evoluir na X30 Mini, independentemente dos resultados que possa vir a obter”, Vasco Lázaro stated at the end of Sunday in Portimão. “Ele é muito jovem mas também muito focado. Vai para uma realidade nova onde tem pilotos muito bons e com mais experiência. Por isso, por agora é só treinar e fazer o melhor possível. De qualquer forma, estou muito feliz com o seu desempenho na X30 Mini, excedeu todas as expetativas”.
Regarding his participation in the X30 Mini, Xavier Lázaro said, “Estou muito contente com a estreia na X30 Mini, embora no dia de sábado tenha ficado triste com as penalizações, pois achei que não tinha estragado o bico do meu kart. No Domingo consegui estar melhor e já cheguei em 6º na Final. Agora quero é treinar muito para estar cada vez melhor. Quero agradecer o apoio da minha família, dos meus patrocinadores e do Cabo Júnior Team, em especial do meu mecânico Jacinto Gameiro”.
