During last week, Xavier Lázaro was in Italy for a testing session at the South Garda Karting track in Lonato, initiating an international preparation plan aimed at his continuous development in the sport. At the age of seven, while taking his first steps in the X30 Mini category of the Portuguese Karting Championship, Xavier Lázaro will also travel to several tracks in Italy this year to adapt to driving the 60 Mini kart. Although still very young to compete in the international category, the young talent from Várzea de Sintra doesn't shy away from the opportunity to start learning new tracks behind the wheel of a kart he will soon compete with.
It was two days of testing, during which Xavier Lázaro intensely drove on the Lonato track behind the wheel of DR chassis, from the multiple World Champion, Danilo Rossi. Although in our country Xavier Lázaro is part of the Cabo Júnior Team (CJT), driving Kart Republic (KR) chassis, the choice of equipment for international preparation is currently entrusted to DR, which will oversee the performance of the Portuguese driver during the season. In this session, Xavier Lázaro was able to share the track with many other drivers, many of whom are official competitors in the most important competitions of the international 60 Mini calendar.
"We thought it would be good to provide 'Xavi' with the opportunity to experience the international environment throughout the year, while also trying to prepare him as best as possible for the future. DR provided us with a good session, and over the two days, we were treated excellently and very professionally", said his father, Vasco Lázaro. "Here in Lonato, being a track with a lot of usage and activity throughout the year, Xavi will experience sensations that are hardly replicable currently in Portugal, with the track full of rubber and constantly with many drivers. At the same time, he'll be able to be close to the big names of the sport at the international level, and many of them were here during these two days of testing".
With the focus of these two days of work on giving miles to the young Portuguese driver, it was also possible to analyze and compare some benchmark times. "The kart that 'Xavi' tested here is naturally a bit faster than the one used in Portugal in the CPK. Therefore, he had to adapt quickly, and that was good. At this stage, the goal is entirely to give him mileage and experience, but in any case, it was good to see that in the analysis of times, he's not far off in comparison with those we know were recently achieved by other Portuguese drivers who have raced in this category", concluded Vasco Lázaro.
At seven years old, Xavier Lázaro is progressing and enjoying unforgettable experiences, such as those he lived over two days on this track near Lake Garda. "It was really good to come here and test at Lonato", Xavier Lázaro said. "I want to thank my parents very much for this opportunity and also Danilo Rossi and DR for the kind and very professional way they dealt with me these past two days" About the tests, Xavier Lázaro said, "It was two days of hard work and quite a few laps on this track that I really like. There was a lot of rubber on the track, which made my arms feel tired after some time. It also rained these days, and in the rain, I had some difficulty driving because of the rubber on the track. It was good because I learned a lot and also because I met drivers who usually race in the WSK and CIK FIA championships. I can't wait to come back for more testing sessions. This track is spectacular".
Photos: Officials
