Xavier Lázaro competed this weekend at the Circuito di Cremona in the CIK FIA Karting World Cup for OKNJ. On Italian soil, the young official DR driver secured 16th place in a fiercely contested Final, starting from 20th on the grid.
In his first season in the category, Lázaro had ambitions of fighting for the top positions, especially since the Cremona track is one of his favorites. However, right from Qualifying his hopes took a major setback, when what would have been his best lap was ruined by a driver stopped on the track.
As a result, he started the five Heats from 11th and 12th positions (four times), finishing 10th twice (one of them with the fastest lap of the race), ninth once, and in his best performance, he crossed the line in fourth. In one of the Heats, however, he was forced to retire after contact with a rival while battling for 10th place.
Today, the youngster from Várzea de Sintra started Super Heat A from 14th place, securing seventh at the finish after an attacking race. In the Final, he struggled a lot on the opening lap, going off on the outside of the track (down to 20th), but fought back to gain four positions and finish 16th.
“I’m happy with my performance, in what is my first season in OKNJ”, said Xavier Lázaro at the end. “The goal this year is to complete as many laps as possible, and if I can, to finish all my races”, added the driver, who recently turned 12.
Qualifying Ended Up Limiting His Goals
Xavier Lázaro had a positive debut in a CIK FIA Karting competition, finishing 16th in the OKN-Junior World Cup, held this weekend at the Circuito di Cremona in Italy. The Portuguese driver prepared well for the event and had aspirations for a strong result, but he ended up heavily affected by Qualifying, which is crucial for a good starting position in the five Heats. On what would have been his best lap, while he had two excellent sectors, he was hindered by a driver who stopped on the track, forcing him to take a wider line, destroying any chance of a fast time. As a result, he ended up 35th in the timed session, with a lap of 49.200s, leaving him more than a second off pole position.
With this result, Xavier Lázaro started Heat 1 from 11th and from 12th in the remaining four Heats. All the races, which determine possible qualification for the Pre-Final, demanded a lot of work from the Portuguese driver. He finished the first Heat in 10th, and it quickly became clear that reaching the front positions would not be easy. In Heat 2, while battling for 10th place on the final lap, Xavier Lázaro made the only mistake of the weekend, coming into contact with a rival and being forced to retire, although he was classified in 21st place.
Aware of the mistake he had made, the young driver from the team of five-time World Champion Danilo Rossi approached the final day of Heats with the right mindset, consistently delivering strong performances on track. In Heat 3 he finished 10th, followed by two good results, securing ninth and fourth positions.
He Was Strong in Super Heat A
This morning, already with a place in the Final secured, Xavier Lázaro delivered a strong performance in Super Heat A. Starting from 14th, again on the outside, the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games Gold Medalist was competitive and fought his way up the standings, in what was his best race of the weekend, finishing in seventh place.
For the Final, where he was not the only Portuguese competitor, with Romeu Mello starting from 36th, Xavier Lázaro was again disadvantaged starting from the outside of the track (20th). On the first lap, he survived two heavy hits to his rear, and with a lot of effort and determination managed to gain several positions. The DR/Modena Engines/LeCont package was not as competitive as in the Super Heat, but he still managed to finish 16th after completing the 21 laps of the race.
“For this event, I had ambitions for a better result, but I was immediately heavily affected in Qualifying”, Xavier Lázaro said. “This is a learning year in a new category, and I consider what I’ve done so far this season to be positive, always with the goal of improving more and more”, concluded the young driver from Várzea de Sintra.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
