Xavier Lázaro competed yesterday at South Garda Karting in Lonato in the 2024 edition of the Trofeo d’Autunno (Autumn Trophy), a race that served as preparation for the Portuguese driver ahead of the fifth and final round of the ACI Italian Karting Championship, scheduled for next weekend on the track near Lake Garda.
With the race featuring all the top names in the Mini Gr. 3 category, the Portuguese driver from SM Racing was always among the fastest, starting with securing the fifth-best time in the Qualifying.
In the two Heats he competed in, Xavier Lázaro initially finished the first in fourth place but ended up receiving a three-second penalty, which relegated him to sixth position. In Heat 2, the young driver from Várzea de Sintra had an issue with the TM carburetor, which cost him about a second per lap. He defended himself on the track as best as he could to lose the fewest positions possible, finishing in 15th place.
With the sum of the results from the Heats placing Xavier Lázaro on the fourth row of the starting grid (8th) for the pre-Final B, the 11-year-old driver had a strong race and competed for the leading positions. The final lap was intense, with more than half of the pack fighting for the podium. Unfortunately, the SM Racing driver wasn’t lucky, finishing 12th on the track after being pushed off by a competitor. However, after receiving a three-second penalty for damage to the nose of his Gillard/TM, Xavier Lázaro dropped to 17th place.
In a weekend that was valuable for the training opportunities it provided, Xavier Lázaro was once again unlucky in the Final. The starter motor of his Gillard/TM failed in the pre-grid, preventing the Portuguese driver from starting the race, in which he was set to begin from 19th position.
Photo: Vasco Lázaro and Miguel Silva
