Xavier Lázaro raced this weekend in the fourth round of the ACI Sport Italian Karting Championship, held at the Circuito Internazionale Napoli in Sarno, continuing an extensive season of competition, all of it on Italian soil. Competing in the Mini Gr. 3, where he faces some of the best Mini category drivers in the world, Xavier Lázaro consistently maintained a good competitive level, proudly representing the colors of his team, SM Racing.
On a track that proved challenging for participants in this penultimate round of the championship, with the new asphalt adding extra difficulties for those present at the circuit on the outskirts of Naples, Xavier Lázaro showed himself to be quite competitive right from the first official practice sessions. By achieving the eighth-best time in his group during the Mini Gr. 3 Qualifying, the driver from Várzea de Sintra secured the 15th position in the category, which had 46 participants for this event. With his best lap time of 1m06.922s, Xavier Lázaro was only two-tenths of a second behind the pole position holder in a Qualifying session where the top 18 drivers were within the same second.
Attitude and Competitiveness in the Heats
With the Qualifying result determining that Xavier Lázaro would start from 10th position in both Heats on Saturday, the SM Racing driver did not have the best start, being involved in an accident that took him out of the first race he participated in. Although he did not start well in Heat 1, the young Portuguese driver quickly moved up to 7th place, suggesting that Xavier Lázaro might be competitive in the race. However, shortly after advancing to 6th place by overtaking Belgian Henri Kumpen, Xavier Lázaro was literally 'thrown' off the track by his opponent. Henri Kumpen was immediately shown the black-and-white flag by the track marshals, yet the Belgian was not penalized at the end of the race for his maneuver. Once again, Italian race officials showed that they apply different standards to drivers for their on-track conduct.
With the contact from Kumpen, Xavier Lázaro dropped to the last position, from which he couldn't recover, as shortly after this incident, the race directors showed the red flag following another accident that brought the race to an early end.
Aware that he needed a good result in Heat 2 to secure a spot in Sunday's decisive races, Xavier Lázaro made a strong start from 10th place to climb up the standings, once again demonstrating that he was a contender in Sarno. The Portuguese driver is becoming increasingly strong and confident, so it was with some ease that he finished in the top six, securing his place in Races 1 and 2 on Sunday.
It Couldn't Have Been Done Better
Starting from 21st position for Race 1, on the outside of the Sarno track, Xavier Lázaro immediately began trying to advance positions, though he wasn’t able to take advantage of the draft from the drivers ahead. On the second lap, while attempting to pass a group of drivers who had just been involved in an accident, Xavier Lázaro was touched, causing irreparable damage to his kart and forcing him to retire from the race.
In Race 2, the Portuguese driver started from the third-to-last position (34th) and initially struggled to gain places. Gradually, the SM Racing driver made progress, gaining 12 positions over the nine laps of the race to finish in 22nd. It was the best he could manage in a challenging race full of incidents.
Next, Xavier Lázaro will have a break, returning to the track in September (4th to 8th) to compete in the WSK Super Cup by Mini.
Photos: Vasco Lázaro and Miguel Silva and Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
