Xavier Lázaro did not have a good debut in OKJ, during the first of two rounds of the WSK Final Cup, the competition that closes the year on the WSK Promotion calendar. At the Italian Franciacorta Karting Track, the young Portuguese driver saw his entire weekend’s performance severely compromised when the Modena engine of his kart seized during Qualifying. With this setback, he started the three heats from 27th place and, although he performed well in the first two (22nd and 16th), he was once again struck by misfortune when the DR’s chain came off on the second lap of the final race, forcing him to retire.
This morning, the young driver from Várzea de Sintra competed in the Pre-Final B, performing at a very high level over the 13 laps of the race. Starting from 24th place, the official DR driver for Danilo Rossi finished in 11th position. On his debut in the category, against the best OKJ drivers in the world, Xavier Lázaro showed that he is not intimidated by the strength of his rivals and that he is ready for a new stage in his still very early racing career.
However, as a result of the Heat in which he retired, Xavier Lázaro ultimately missed out on achieving his goal of reaching the Final. “It was a pity what happened to me in Qualifying, because it affected my entire weekend”, began the young driver, who recently turned 12 years old. “I managed to perform well and I feel comfortable in the new category. I ended up missing the Final due to situations beyond my control. Now it’s time to shift focus to the next round, in 15 days, in Cremona”.
Engine Seized at the Crucial Moment of Qualifying
For his debut in OKJ, Xavier Lázaro knew the importance of having a strong Qualifying to secure the best possible starting position for the Heats. The pace in the category is highly consistent, and overtaking is not easy, so starting as far forward as possible was crucial. The Portuguese driver positioned himself well on track to attack on the decisive lap, but ended up seeing the Modena engine of his DR seize at a moment of maximum effort. As a result, the lap that counted for him only earned him 27th place, from which he would start the three Heats. It’s worth noting that this was the first time Modena Engines were used in competition in OKJ, and since they are still in an extensive testing period where they are pushed to the limit, issues like the one that affected Xavier Lázaro’s Qualifying result are normal. Even so, based on the results observed over many kilometers of testing, Modena Engines show excellent indicators in terms of competitiveness and reliability.
Without giving up, Xavier Lázaro raced determinedly in Heat 1 and immediately showed that he wanted to move up as much as possible on the grid. He even reached 21st place but ultimately had to settle for 22nd in a very challenging race. In Heat 2, he performed even better than before, moving up from 27th to cross the finish line in 16th place. At this point, Xavier Lázaro still had his hopes of reaching the Final intact in his OKJ debut, where this round in Franciacorta featured 69 drivers competing for 36 spots in the decisive race. However, fate was not on his side, as at the start of the second lap of Heat 3, the chain of his kart came off, forcing him to retire. With this outcome, reaching the Final became practically impossible.
Performance in the Pre-Final Is an Excellent Indicator for the Future
This morning, the official DR driver started Pre-Final B from 24th place. With a remarkable race, widely praised by the official WSK Promotion announcer, the Portuguese driver quickly climbed to 11th place, even giving the impression that he could break into the top 10. This only didn’t happen due to the strong defensive effort of Mark Pilipenko, who, behind the wheel of the Ward Racing Tonykart, gave everything to fend off the Portuguese driver’s attacks. Unfortunately, 11th place was not enough for Xavier Lázaro to secure a spot in the Final.
“Despite the frustration of not being in the Final, I am happy with my performance”, said Xavier Lázaro affirmatively. “I think I had a positive weekend, in which I made no mistakes and made the most of learning in a new category. I gave my best whenever I was on track, completed as many laps as possible, and ended up affected by factors beyond my control. I am highly motivated for the next round, in Cremona”.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
