Xavier Lázaro finished today’s fourth round of the WSK Super Master Series in 17th place in the OKJ category. At South Garda Karting, the official DR driver once again reached the category Final, where he delivered a recovery drive from the back of the field, starting 28th and gaining 11 positions over the 14 laps of the race.
On the road to the Final, things initially did not go well for Xavier Lázaro, as he was hit by rivals in the first two heats. In the first, he was spun around while fighting for a top-10 position, dropping to 28th, but still managed to recover 10 places before the checkered flag. In the second, he ended up off track at the same corner, once again after contact from another driver. The results in the final two heats helped salvage the situation, where he finished 14th and ninth.
This morning, with a high-level performance in Pre-Final A, Xavier Lázaro climbed from 20th to finish fourth. Later, in the Final, starting from 28th, he produced another recovery drive from the back of the field, showing great maturity and composure to finish in 17th place.
There Wasn’t Much More Possible in Qualifying
With 85 drivers present for this fourth round of the WSK Super Master Series, positioning in Qualifying was crucial. Xavier Lázaro performed well in the session and managed to extract the maximum possible from the official DR kart powered by a Modena engine. However, he was around six tenths off pole position, which resulted in the 13th fastest time in his group, corresponding to 37th overall in the OKJ category.
Starting roughly in the middle of the pack for each of the four heats, everything was still open for Xavier Lázaro to secure a place in the Final. That was the main objective heading into these WSK Super Master Series appearances, as completing as many racing laps as possible is essential for learning and developing in the category.
Final at Risk After Two Heats
The opening phase of the four heats in Lonato was disastrous for Xavier Lázaro. In the first heat, despite getting off the line as well as possible from the outside of the track, he began gaining positions during the race. However, as he was preparing to enter the top 10, he was hit by a rival and dropped to 28th. He managed to recover somewhat but could not climb higher than 18th, three positions below his starting spot.
The situation worsened significantly in Heat 2. Starting from 16th, the young driver from Várzea de Sintra once again began cautiously to gain positions. However, during the second lap, he was hit by another rival at the same corner where the incident had occurred in the previous race. This time, the damage to the kart was severe, forcing him to retire.
Xavier Lázaro largou para a Eliminatória 3 consciente de que a presença na Final já era difícil, mas nem por isso o piloto oficial da DR deixou de dar ‘o litro’ em pista. Fazendo a corrida possivel e largando de 15º, concluiu no 14º posto.
In the final race of this phase, the Portuguese driver needed a strong result and went after exactly that. Starting again from 15th, he drove aggressively, consistently gaining positions. He achieved a solid finish in ninth place, putting him in the middle of the pack for his Pre-Final and just three positions away from securing a spot in the Final.
A Strong Pre-Final
Partindo da 20º posição para a Pré-Final A, Xavier Lázaro foi ao ataque desde a abertura da luz verde. Logo na primeira volta, o português subiu quatro posições. Fez a sua melhor corrida até ao momento e com muito sangue-frio foi subindo no pelotão, que por vezes era demasiado agressivo. Com a mentalidade certa, sempre imprimindo bom ritmo no DR oficial, fez mais uma boa corrida, com maturidade e sangue-frio. Concluiu as 14 voltas num brilhante sétimo lugar, 13 posições acima de onde largou. No entanto, visto que três pilotos na sua frente foram penalizados por danos no bico frontal, Xavier Lázaro ainda subiu até ao quarto lugar. A prova foi demasiado acidentada na frente, meio e trás, mas Xavier Lázaro foi inteligente e competente, extraindo a melhor posição possível. Com mérito colocou-se no ‘grid’ de 36 para a Final.
Keeping Composed in the Final
The OKJ Final got off to the worst possible start, as just two corners after the start, an accident involved nine karts. It all happened right behind Xavier Lázaro, and there was initial concern that two of the drivers involved might have been seriously hurt, but fortunately, it was just a scare. After about 20 minutes of waiting, the race was restarted, and Xavier Lázaro, starting from 28th, delivered another strong performance in Lonato. Over the 14 laps, the Portuguese driver drove consistently, steadily gaining positions to finish 17th. In those 14 laps, he gained 11 places — a remarkable achievement in what is currently the most competitive category in the WSK.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
