Xavier Lázaro concluded his participation in the WSK Super Master Series last weekend, a competition with four stages that began on the first weekend of February. The final round took place in Cremona, a track where the Portuguese driver once again felt quite comfortable.
The race didn't start well for Xavier Lázaro, who, in the qualifying session, only managed the 16th time among the 49 participants. The DR team's driver was quick but miscalculated his positioning on the track during what could have been his best lap, costing him about three-tenths of a second. This distance kept him away from the pole position.
With 48 drivers participating in this event, knowing that a good finish in the heats was crucial to secure a favorable position in the Pre Final, the young racer from Várzea de Sintra performed very efficiently in the four races. He even led several times and finished 3rd, 7th, 2nd, and 6th, respectively. He started the Pre Final A in fifth place but had an unfortunate finish, ending up in eighth.
In the Final, starting from the 11th position, Xavier Lázaro showed great strength in the first two laps, reaching as high as seventh place. However, after a poorly executed turn that led to one of the fastest sections of the Cremona track, the Portuguese driver found himself on the outside of the racing line, getting 'swallowed up' by a long line of drivers and dropping to the 20th position. Towards the end of the nine-lap race, Xavier Lázaro managed to recover to the 16th position.
Xavier Lázaro's overall performance in the Super Master Series is quite positive, finishing 20th in the standings that included 95 drivers from around the world.
Calculation Error Affects Qualifying
As has been the case in the recent races on the WSK calendar, Xavier Lázaro was among the fastest in the Mini Sub10 class right from the initial free practice sessions. While this suggested that the DR team driver would play a crucial role in qualifying, the truth is that Xavier Lázaro mismanaged his positioning on the track alongside other drivers during what could have been his best lap. Hesitation at the moment to push hard on the track cost him about three-tenths of a second, relegating the Portuguese driver to the 16th position in the session.
With the Qualifying result not jeopardizing a good starting position in the heats, Xavier Lázaro consistently started the four races from the seventh position. In the very first heat, a strong start propelled the Portuguese driver into the top positions, ultimately finishing in third place. In the second heat, with a wet track, Xavier Lázaro started well but made a mistake that dropped him to seventh. He recovered effectively, moving up and down positions over several laps, ultimately finishing in seventh place.
His best performance came in Heat 3, a race he led at one point, eventually dropping to fourth. In the final laps, he took advantage of mistakes from the second and third-placed drivers to secure a position behind the leader, defending that position bravely until the end. In Heat 4, once again, he started very well, reaching second place. However, he was twice pushed off the track by the same driver, ultimately finishing in sixth place.
Pre-Final and Final Are Lessons for the Future
For Pre-Final A, Xavier Lázaro started from the fifth position, benefiting from his strong performance in the four heats. However, the Portuguese driver couldn't be proactive in the race, dropping several positions to finish in eighth. While the classification didn't reflect his strong desire to be in the top positions, the result was still positive as Xavier Lázaro consistently raced among the frontrunners, avoiding any 'confusions' throughout.
In the Final, the DR team's driver started from the 11th position, highly focused on quickly entering the battle for the top five. Xavier Lázaro had a strong start and was soon in the top seven. However, on the third lap, the Portuguese driver misjudged the final turn before the fastest section of the track, losing speed on the exit and getting 'swallowed up' by an extensive 'train' of drivers, dropping to 20th. Affected by this small mistake, Xavier Lázaro took some time to regain pace, but by the end of the race, he managed to recover to the 16th position.
"He started the race well, very daring and gaining a good number of positions", commented his father, Vasco Lázaro, at the end. "Then he made a small mistake in a part of the track that doesn't forgive, and he ended up in a bad position, being engulfed by the pack. He is performing well, improving from week to week, and this small setback is another lesson he takes for the future. He made two mistakes over the weekend, one in Qualifying and another in the Final. Therefore, the overall balance can only be quite positive", concluded Vasco Lázaro.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
