Xavier Lázaro concluded his participation today in the ACI Sport Italian Karting Championship. In Franciacorta, the stage of the final round of the competition, the young Portuguese driver secured fifth place in the OKN-Junior Final. In what was his first season in a new category, Xavier Lázaro showed constant progress and maturity, despite having turned just 12 years old less than a month ago.
With the fifth round of the competition bringing together a total of 70 drivers from the ‘four corners of the world,’ the young driver from Várzea de Sintra consistently managed to be among the strongest. In Qualifying, he secured the sixth fastest time in his group, which translated to 12th overall, with his lap of 49.131 seconds being just three tenths slower than pole position.
In the three Heats leading to the Pre-Final and Final, the DR driver finished fifth twice, with his worst result of the weekend coming in the last one, where he placed 11th. With the combined results, Xavier Lázaro started the Pre-Final B from fourth place. In the race held this morning, the ‘protégé’ of five-time World Champion Danilo Rossi struggled with some lack of competitiveness and could do no better than 10th place. For the Final, he started seventh, on the inside of the track, and perhaps delivered his best performance of the weekend, even fighting well within the top five. On the last lap of the race, while running fourth, Xavier Lázaro was touched by Albert Tamm (Parolin/TM Kart/MG), forcing him wide and dropping him to eighth, a position he could not recover on track. However, post-race penalties given to Albert Tamm, Antoni Ociepa (Lenzokart/LKE/MG), and Nojus Stasionis (Parolin/TM Kart/MG) allowed Xavier Lázaro to finish in fifth place.
The young Portuguese driver will hardly have time to rest, as next weekend he will compete at the Cremona Circuit in the FIA Karting World Cup in the OKN Junior category.
Team and Driver Fought Together for the Best Possible Setup
On returning to competition after about a month’s break, both Xavier Lázaro and DR worked hard to find the best performance in the fifth and final round of the ACI Sport Italian Karting Championship. In Franciacorta, one of the Portuguese driver’s favorite tracks, the first signs on the circuit were positive, with Xavier Lázaro being the fastest on track in the second official free practice session, setting his best lap of the weekend (48.772s). However, things didn’t go as well in Qualifying, where he could do no better than 12th place (49.131s).
For the three Heats, Xavier Lázaro always started from sixth place. With solid performances on track, even though it was clear he didn’t have the most competitive chassis/engine package, the Portuguese driver managed to secure fifth place twice. In Heat 3, he was unable to perform well, losing several positions right at the start and finishing 11th. In all three races, starting from the outside, Xavier Lázaro always lost several positions on the first lap. While in two races he was able to recover by being proactive, in the final Heat he couldn’t repeat the same result, and was further hindered when the race ended several laps early due to a red flag shown after an incident in the middle of the pack.
Struggled In Pre-Final A But Did Well in the Final
Starting from fourth place for the Pre-Final B, again from the outside, Xavier Lázaro had expectations for a good result. The Portuguese driver made a strong start, placing himself in the top five, but it became evident lap after lap that he didn’t have a package capable of fighting for the front positions. Still, known for making himself ‘big’ on track, the young DR driver defended his position as long as he could, and entering the final of the 15 laps, he was still in the top six, battling with the fifth-placed driver. With a large pack of karts in direct competition, Xavier Lázaro made the mistake of trying to move up to fifth from the outside, not only failing but also being hindered by his rivals, dropping to 10th position, from which he could not recover.
For the Final, starting from seventh, he at least had the ‘advantage’ of being on the inside for the first two corners at Franciacorta. With a strong start and already inside the top five, the Várzea de Sintra driver was consistently a contender for the front positions, reaching fourth place several times, including at the start of the final lap. However, with several title contenders fighting hard for the championship, the young DR driver fell victim to circumstances on the last lap, being touched by Albert Tamm, which dropped him to eighth place. He crossed the finish line in that position, but after the race, three drivers ahead of him were penalized (Albert Tamm, Antoni Ociepa, and Nojus Stasionis). In this final scenario, Xavier Lázaro moved up to fifth place in the race, a well-deserved reward for a driver who worked hard on track this weekend. In the final standings of the ACI Sport Italian Championship, in his debut season, Xavier Lázaro finished 10th in OKN Junior.
Xavier Lázaro has no ‘rest orders’ in sight and will compete next weekend in the FIA Karting World Cup in Cremona.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
