Xavier Lázaro raced in the 3rd stage of the Portuguese Karting Championship this weekend. On his return to the International Karting Circuit of the Algarve, the Várzea de Sintra driver had a good performance, although from a competitive standpoint, he was hampered from the early free practice sessions when he was involved in an accident with an opponent, resulting in irreparable damage to the only chassis he brought to the Algarve circuit.
With the limited repairs possible on the DR, the nine-year-old driver still managed to be the 2nd fastest in the timed practice sessions on Saturday and Sunday, ultimately achieving his best results of the weekend.
On Saturday, Xavier Lázaro started the 1st Qualifying Heat of the X30 Mini from the second position, finishing the race in fourth place. It was the best possible result with equipment that wasn't at 100%, in the midst of an extremely high-quality and competitive field. Also on Saturday, the young DR team driver finished Race 1 in fifth place. Throughout much of the race, Xavier Lázaro contested podium positions, but in the final of the 12 laps, he made a small mistake, losing two positions and finishing in fifth.
Today, the Saturday program repeated itself, and Xavier Lázaro once again set his best time of the day in the timed practice session, securing the second-best time, just 0.001 seconds behind the pole position.
In the 2nd Qualifying Heat, in the late morning, Xavier Lázaro had enormous difficulties in keeping his DR on the track, plummeting in the standings. A glaring mistake by his mechanic, who happened to be his father that day, resulted in the young Sintra driver racing with completely wrong tire pressures. Despite significant effort, Xavier Lázaro could not do better than finishing the race in 10th place.
In Race 2, Xavier Lázaro had a good start but was pushed by an opponent in the first lap, dropping to the tail of the 17-driver pack. Making use of all the maturity and experience gained this season in the Italian competition, Xavier Lázaro delivered an excellent race, gaining positions on a track where overtaking is not easy, ultimately finishing in a spectacular sixth place.
At the end of the day, despite the young Xavier Lázaro's efforts far exceeding the final results, his father reflected on a positive weekend.
"Even though many things didn't go well, quite the opposite, the overall assessment of the weekend is very positive", said Vasco Lázaro. "We had some bad luck in one of the free practice sessions when Xavier was involved in an accident with an opponent. The chassis of the DR was bent, and since it was the only one we brought to Portimão and there was no material for its repair, we had to adapt.".
Despite this setback, Vasco Lázaro emphasized that the DR driver was competitive. "Even though the equipment wasn't at 100%, Xavier was competitive throughout the weekend. This was evident in both timed practice sessions. In the races, he faced an extremely competitive field and did his best, also not wanting to interfere in the championship battles, given that his participation in it was sporadic".
Vasco Lázaro concluded, "Today, I got a bit distracted before the 2nd Qualifying Heat, and in the early laps, I realized that something was wrong with Xavier's kart, which had a lot of difficulty staying on the track. Only at the end of the race did I realize that in the midst of the rush, I made a mistake in the tire pressures. At the same time, that meant he had to start from the back in Race 2, where he had a great race, climbing up to the top 6".
For Xavier Lázaro, it was very good to return to competition in Portugal. "I really enjoyed racing in Portimão again and in a field where Portuguese was spoken", he said. "This weekend, I could see that the X30 Mini in Portugal is very competitive, and that's fantastic. I want to express my gratitude to my mechanics, my father, and 'father' Marreiros".
Photos: Hellofoto (Archive)
