Xavier Lázaro will race next weekend in the first round of the ACI Sport Italian Karting Championship, in a new category — OKN-Junior. At just 11 years old, the Portuguese driver is kicking off a new phase of his still young sporting career at the Pista Salentina in Ugento.
After several seasons in the Mini category — where he could still compete throughout this sporting year — Xavier Lázaro decided that this was the right moment to move up to the Junior category, aiming to continue his learning process with a clear goal on the horizon: to compete in the FIA Karting World Cup, which will take place in September at the Cremona Circuit, a track the young Portuguese driver knows well. After finishing second in the Mini category of the WSK Super Master Series — a competition in which he won two of the five rounds and secured a total of four podiums — the winner of the FIA Motorsport Games in Karting Sprint Mini approaches this new stage of his competitive journey with great humility and determination.
“Apesar de ainda estar em idade de competir na Mini, entendo que este é o momento certo para subir à OKNJ”, Xavier Lázaro said. “Com a mesma determinação de sempre, agora quero evoluir e aprender o máximo, para poder estar competitivo em setembro, no FIA Karting World Cup”.
Last weekend, Xavier Lázaro was already testing at the Pista Salentina in preparation for his debut in the Italian Championship, also aiming for a quick adaptation to the new challenge. The young driver from Várzea de Sintra showed he was comfortable at the wheel of the OKN-Junior category DR/Modena Engines kart.
“Senti-me bem ao volante do DR/Modena nesta pista com grande tradição em Itália”, Xavier Lázaro said. “Inicialmente senti algumas dificuldades mas com a ajuda da equipa fomos trabalhando e melhorando o setup do chassis, o que permitiu a minha evolução gradual ao longo destes dois dias. Nesta fase só quero evoluir e o meu principal objetivo é efetuar o máximo de voltas nas próximas corridas”.
Photos: Vasco Lázaro
