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.
Na Final, largando da 11ª posição, Xavier Lázaro esteve muito forte nas primeiras duas voltas, chegando a ocupar o sétimo lugar. No entanto, ao sair mal de uma curva que dava acesso a um dos setores mais rápidos do traçado de Cremona, o piloto português ficou do lado de fora da trajetória, sendo ‘engolido’ por uma longa fila de pilotos, caindo para a 20ª posição. Na ponta final da corrida de nove voltas, Xavier Lázaro ainda recuperou até ao 16º lugar.
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
Para a Pré Final A, Xavier Lázaro largava do quinto posto, tirando partido do seu bom desempenho nas quatro eliminatórias. No entanto, o piloto português não conseguiu ser proativo na corrida, caindo várias posições para terminar em oitavo. Se a classificação não traduzia a enorme vontade em se colocar nas primeiras posições, o resultado era ainda assim positivo, pois Xavier Lázaro andou sempre entre os primeiros lugares, nunca se envolvendo em ‘confusões’.
Na Final, o piloto da DR largou de 11º, muito focado em rapidamente se colocar na luta pelo top cinco. Xavier Lázaro largou muito bem e rapidamente estava no top sete. No entanto na terceira volta, o piloto português abordou mal a última curva antes do setor mais rápido da pista, perdendo velocidade na saída da mesma, sendo ‘devorado’ por um extenso ‘comboio’ de pilotos, caindo para 20º. Afetado por esse pequeno erro, Xavier Lázaro demorou a voltar ao ritmo, mas até ao final da corrida ainda recuperou até ao 16º lugar.
“Ele começou bem a prova, muito atrevido e a ganhar bastantes posições”, commented his father, Vasco Lázaro, at the end. “Depois cometeu um pequenino erro numa parte da pista que não perdoa e ficou mal posicionado, sendo devorado pelo pelotão. Ele está a andar bem, a evoluir de semana para semana e este pequeno contratempo é mais uma lição que leva para o futuro. Cometeu dois erros no fim de semana, um no Qualifying e outro na Final. Por isso, o saldo só pode ser francamente positivo”, concluded Vasco Lázaro.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
