Xavier Lázaro secured seventh place this afternoon in the Final of the Mini Sub 10 category of the 1st round of the WSK Open Series, an event organized by WSK Promotion at the Franciacorta Karting Track. Starting the Mini Sub 10 Final from fourth position, the Portuguese driver from SM Racing dropped three places during the first lap but quickly regained his position within the top five and fought for victory. After a small mistake while overtaking an opponent, causing the engine to momentarily shut off, Xavier Lázaro lost positions, dropping to 11th place. With a strong finish to the race, the youngster from Várzea de Sintra recovered positions, ultimately finishing the race in a positive seventh place.
In what was his best performance of the season so far, Xavier Lázaro began to stand out from Friday itself, securing pole position in the Mini Sub 10 category. His lap time of 53.559 seconds materialized the second pole position of the season for SM Racing. Also on Friday, Xavier Lázaro won the first of three Heats he competed in. Behind the wheel of the Gillard/TM, the 10-year-old youngster continued to deliver excellent performances on Saturday, finishing the two Heats respectively in second and fifth positions.
Today, in the Pre-Final, the Portuguese driver had an unfortunate incident, being bumped by an opponent, which caused him to lose several positions, ultimately finishing his Pre-Final in 12th place.
In the Final, starting from fourth position on the outside line of the track, Xavier Lázaro dropped to seventh during the first lap, quickly recovering to place himself back in the top five. An error after overtaking an opponent caused his kart's engine to momentarily shut off, forcing the Portuguese driver to lose pace and positions. A strong finish ensured his return to the top 10, with Xavier Lázaro ultimately concluding the race in seventh place.
Pole Position and Victory In the Heat Are Highlights
Growing increasingly motivated and confident behind the wheel of SM Racing's Gillard/TM, Xavier Lázaro showed strength in the opening round of the WSK Open Series. Already on Friday morning, the Portuguese driver set the fastest time in the Mini Sub 10 category during Qualifying, with a lap time of 53.559 seconds.
Continuing the strong pace displayed during the morning, the SM Racing driver won the first of the three Heats he competed in. In Heat 2, on Saturday, in a race that he also led, he ended up finishing in second place, behind Scottish driver Mason Robertson (Baby Race Driver Academy).
In the final Heat, he fought for the victory, ran in second place, and took back the lead at the start of the last lap. However, he ended up making a small mistake when he didn't defend the first place effectively, getting passed by Niccolo' Perico and the three opponents following him, ultimately finishing in fifth.
Inglorious Pre-Final and Fighting in the Final
This morning, Xavier Lázaro started the Pre-Final A from the front row. With a good start, he positioned himself in the fight for the lead, but at a moment of heavy braking, he inadvertently shut off the TM engine of his Gillard kart. He lost some positions and was then spun by an opponent. Xavier Lázaro rejoined the race but couldn't do better than 12th place.
With the Final classification not allowing him to start from the front row in the race of all decisions, the young Portuguese started the Final from fourth place. On the outside, Xavier Lázaro got off to a good start but lost three positions. With the pack tightly bunched at the start of the race, the SM Racing driver quickly found the best pace and climbed up to fifth place, only to again turn off his kart's engine during a stronger braking. After regaining pace, despite dropping to 11th place, the Portuguese driver did not give up and fought back. In the final laps, while the top eight fought fiercely for victory, Xavier Lázaro did his best, managing to climb up to seventh place where he finished this first stage of the WSK Open Series.
A reference also to the excellent work of SM Racing, always competent in providing competitiveness to its drivers. A great capacity for work and constant pursuit of solutions for better competitiveness. In fact, this is a fact that Xavier Lázaro does not let pass without gratitude. "My thanks to SM Racing for the excellent work throughout the weekend."
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
