Xavier Lázaro raced in the second round of the WSK Super Master Series this weekend, held at the Cremona Circuit in Italy. In the event that marked his debut with a new team, the British SM Racing, Xavier Lázaro proved to be highly competitive behind the wheel of the Gillard with a TM engine, to which he adapted very quickly.
With rain making a significant presence throughout the entire weekend at the Cremona Circuit, the 10-year-old youngster quickly adapted to the new equipment, showcasing solid performances in the preliminary phase of this stage in the competition promoted by WSK Promotion. After securing the 16th position in Qualifying (8th in his series), in the Mini Sub 10 category (54 drivers present in Cremona), the Portuguese driver's performances stood out in the Heats, which determine the positioning in the Pre-Final. Finishing 4th in the first Heat (later relegated to 9th due to damage to the nose caused by a touch with Niccolo’ Perico on the warm-up lap), the youngster from Várzea de Sintra confirmed the fourth position in Heat 2 after starting from eighth place. A carburetor issue with his kart significantly affected Xavier Lázaro's pace in the final Heat, leading the Portuguese driver to finish only in 24th place.
This morning, Xavier Lázaro started the Pre-Final from the 12th position. With a remarkable race on a rain-spec track, the SM Racing driver was active and efficient, consistently moving up positions to finish the race in 5th place. Unfortunately, due to the points earned by Xavier Lázaro in Qualifying and the Heats, he could not improve his starting position for the Final, beginning in 20th place. In a challenging race, with the track both wet and dry in some sections, the Portuguese driver couldn't find his best pace, gaining only two positions in the race and finishing in 18th place.
Xavier Lázaro continues his extensive competitive schedule for 2024 next weekend with the third round of the WSK Super Master Series in Franciacorta.
Xavier Lázaro at SM Racing
Xavier Lázaro made his competition debut with his new team, the British SM Racing. This was a sudden change in the world of the young Portuguese driver, who was entering his third year with DR. After the 2nd round of the WSK Super Master Series in Lonato, Xavier Lázaro was invited to an extremely enticing project with SM Racing, a team owned by Oliver Oakes, a Karting World Champion who plays a significant role in the motorsports world, serving as the Team Principal and director of Hitech Grand Prix.
For 2024, with SM Racing, Xavier Lázaro will maintain his entire sports program, which includes participating in the entire WSK Promotion calendar, as well as the Italian Karting Championship and some karting events taking place in Italy. In addition to an extensive competition schedule, Xavier Lázaro will also have an intense program of testing and training with a highly professionalized structure.
Good Performances in Qualifying, Heats, and Pre-Final
With Xavier Lázaro's sudden switch to a new team, there was some concern about the performance of the Portuguese driver in the 2nd round of the WSK Super Master Series, as he had to undergo an adaptation process to the Gillard, with its own specific features, particularly in terms of brakes. However, Xavier Lázaro adapted very quickly to his new equipment, immediately showing competitiveness in the Qualifying session. The Portuguese driver was the eighth fastest in his group and 16th overall, trailing by about eight-tenths of a second from the pole position.
With intense rain on the first two days of the competition in Cremona, Xavier Lázaro demonstrated great competence in the Heats. The result in Heat 1 was influenced by a rear-end collision with Niccolo’ Perico during the warm-up lap, damaging the nose of the Gillard driven by the Portuguese. Starting from eighth, with a strong performance, Xavier Lázaro finished in 4th place, but due to a penalty, he was relegated to ninth. In Heat 2, the youngster from Várzea de Sintra had another good race, consistently gaining positions to finish in fourth. In Heat 3, the Portuguese driver was motivated to once again be efficient in the race, but a carburetor issue ended up affecting the pace of the Gillard with TM engine, resulting in Xavier Lázaro finishing no better than 24th.
With the sum of the results, the SM Racing driver moved from the 12th position to the Pre-Final B. With another strong performance on the track, Xavier Lázaro climbed positions to finish in 6th place. However, due to a penalty to Niccolo’ Perico for irregular positioning at the start of the race, Xavier moved up to 5th place.
Despite the good performance in the Pre-Final, once again due to the accumulation of points in Qualifying and Heats, Xavier Lázaro started the Final of Mini Sub 10 in 20th place. With no rain during the finals and the KZ2 race taking place before Mini Sub 10, the track was very challenging, slippery, with a dry racing line. As drivers chose to race with dry tires, Xavier Lázaro started and gained several positions on the first lap but struggled to cope with the track conditions, making mistakes in braking for the turns, which affected his performance. At the end of the race, the Portuguese driver finished in 18th place, gaining two positions from the starting position.
Even though the result in the Final wasn't the best, Xavier Lázaro had a good weekend, entering positively and with strong performances in his 'new home' at SM Racing. The Portuguese driver felt well-received and pleased with the team's level and its work capacity, highlighting the commitment and dedication of all its members throughout the weekend, especially the advice from Oliver, Stephen Mcneill (team manager), and Colin Mcnair (Xavier Lázaro's mechanic in Cremona).
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
