Xavier Lázaro secured his first podium in Italy today, finishing in second place in Race 1 of the Mini Sub-10 category at Val Vibrata, the venue for the third stage of the ACI Italian Karting Championship. This was the highest point in the young international career of the nine-year-old driver, who is now halfway through his first full season on the Italian karting calendar.
Present on the Val Vibrata track for the third stage of the ACI Italian Karting Championship, Xavier Lázaro showcased his speed from the early practice sessions on the track in the province of Teramo. In Qualifying, taking the risk of going out alone on the track, the driver from Várzea de Sintra came very close to the pole position, securing the fifth-best overall time of the session on the stopwatch. The lap in 57.035s left him just 0.122s behind the pole position, while also securing the 3rd time in his group.
Very Competent in the Heats
With 41 drivers present in the Mini Sub-10 class for this third stage of the championship, now reaching the midpoint of the season, Xavier Lázaro knew the importance of finishing well in the heats to position himself as best as possible for the crucial two races on Sunday.
The DR driver was at his best in Heat 1, starting from the third position. With an impeccable performance, he climbed one place during the 10 laps of the race, securing the second position. Additionally, Xavier Lázaro also set the fastest lap of the race (57.258s).
For Heat 2, the team tried to make adjustments to Xavier Lázaro's DR, aiming to improve performance in one of the sectors of the track. However, the changes did not work out as the Portuguese driver's kart became less competitive. As a result, Xavier Lázaro couldn't replicate the good result from the previous heat, struggling on the track to finish in the ninth position, which is four places below where he had started the race.
The team was looking to improve Xavier's DR performance in the section of the track where he was losing to the competition., said Vasco Lázaro, the driver's father. But sometimes, in trying to improve, the result turns out the opposite, and Xavier's kart worsened in this second heat,".
A Long-Awaited Podium
For the decisive two races of the day, DR returned to the setup they had chosen for Xavier Lázaro's kart in Heat 1. The choice immediately proved to be the right one. The Portuguese driver started the race from the seventh position, but by the first lap, he was already in fourth place. Always part of the leading group, Xavier Lázaro managed his race very intelligently, choosing to stay behind the top four while they engaged in a heated battle. Two laps from the end, the Portuguese driver took advantage of the confusion caused by a collision between the top two to jump into the first position. Although he didn't maintain it until the checkered flag due to wanting to survive an aggressive move by Lukas Gorski, who took the lead. On the last lap, Xavier Lázaro simply managed the gap to his pursuers, securing his first podium in a competition outside Portugal, finishing in second place.
The race was very intense, and at a certain point, I preferred to secure my best result so far in Italy, the second position,, said a very happy Xavier Lázaro. "I have been close to a good result on other occasions, but today I really managed to achieve it, and I feel very happy,."
For Race 2, with the inversion of the starting grid for the top eight, Xavier Lázaro started from the seventh position. Early in the race, the Portuguese driver was pushed onto the runoff area by an opponent, resulting in a slight off-track excursion. With the tires getting dirty, the DR driver took some time to get into a good rpace but managed to perform well for the remainder of the race, recovering as much as possible to finish in 13th place.
On the whole, Xavier Lázaro performed well this weekend at Val Vibrata, although the Portuguese driver made a few mistakes here and there. Even with these small setbacks, which also contribute to the future development of the DR driver, the overall outcome of the race in the province of Teramo is quite positive.
Before a few well-deserved weeks of rest, Xavier Lázaro will be at the Kartódromo Internacional de Braga next weekend to compete in the round of the Portuguese Karting Championship, with the aim of preparing for his participation in the Taça de Portugal, an event scheduled to take place at the same track in October. As for competition in Italy, Xavier Lázaro returns on August 24/25 in Sarno for the fourth round of the ACI Italian Karting Championship.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency and Vasco Lázaro
