This afternoon, Xavier Lázaro etched his name among the drivers who secured a podium in the Mini category at WSK. The young Portuguese driver, who recently turned ten, finished in third place in today's final of the Mini Sub 10 class, at the second and final stage of the WSK Euro Series at the Circuito Internazionale Napoli in Sarno, Italy. This goes down in history as the first podium for a Portuguese driver in the Mini category in competitions organized by the prestigious Italian promoter WSK Promotion, one of the world's leading event promoters in the sport.
Throughout the weekend, the performance of the young Portuguese from Várzea de Sintra bordered on perfection. Despite significant instability in the atmospheric conditions at Sarno, Xavier Lázaro was the second fastest in his series during Qualifying (3rd overall). In the three heats contested, the DR team driver consistently fought for the top spot, holding that position several times. He finished the first heat in second place and took third in the next two. In the Pre-Final, starting from the front row (2nd position) with slick tires on a wet track, Xavier Lázaro made a small mistake in turn two during the first lap, going off track and dropping to last place. Determined on the track, he made a recovery to finish in sixth place.
In the Final, starting from fifth on a track that had been hit by a 'deluge' just minutes before, the Portuguese driver quickly took over the third position, staying close to the leaders while creating a gap from the rest. On a challenging circuit, Xavier Lázaro secured his first podium in WSK, confirming a remarkable late-season performance, finishing the WSK Euro Series in fourth place in the Mini Sub 10 class.
The young Portuguese driver is motivated as he prepares to compete later this month in the WSK Final Cup, featuring stages in Lonato and Franciacorta.
Very Good in Qualifying, And It Could Have Been Better
Xavier Lázaro's performances behind the wheel of the Mini Sub 10 DR have been on the rise as the season unfolds, and this is also evident when analyzing his recent performances in the qualifying sessions. In Sarno, with track conditions constantly changing, the Portuguese driver came very close to securing his first pole position in the class. Always among the fastest, Xavier Lázaro was hindered on his best lap when one of his competitors braked heavily, affecting the performance of a group of drivers, including the Portuguese driver. To avoid the competitors in the first sector of the track, Xavier Lázaro had to change his trajectory, losing the time on his best lap that kept him from the pole in the group. The lap time of 1m03.667 ended up being four thousandths of a second longer.
Excellent In the Heats
Starting from the front row in the second position for Heat 1, in the rain, Xavier Lázaro held onto his position from the beginning, putting pressure on the leader, Julian Frasnelli (Parolin/Iame/VEGA), in the early laps. At a certain point, the young driver from Várzea de Sintra lost some time in a turn, distancing himself from the leader and coming under pressure from the fastest driver on the track, Daniel Miron Lorente (KR/Iame/VEGA), until Lorente made a mistake and lost several positions. Xavier Lázaro managed the final laps to secure the second position.
With a good start in Heat 2, Xavier Lázaro took the lead in the race, engaging in a fierce battle with his closest pursuer, Achille Rea (Tonykart/Vortex/VEGA). They exchanged the lead several times until rain arrived to add complexity to the task. Despite consistent rain and the drivers being on dry tires, the race officials chose not to stop the race. Given the intense pace and the high risk of incidents, Xavier Lázaro was advised to use his judgment to secure a good position. The driver opted to play defensively, finishing in third place behind Achille Rea and Daniel Miron Lorente.
In the final Heat (3), the most spectacular one, at the start, Xavier Lázaro closely followed his DR/TM Kart/VEGA behind Oleksandr Legenkyi's KR/Iame/VEGA. The two drivers alternated in the lead until, at a certain moment, they were caught by Albert Tamm (Parolin/Iame/VEGA). The battle for victory among the three was intense and spectacular, lasting until the checkered flag, with Xavier Lázaro finishing third again in a 'three-wide' maneuver.
Pre-Final With Determination
With an impeccable performance in Qualifying and heats, Xavier Lázaro entered Pre-Final B to start from the front row (2nd position). With the track quite slippery, especially in certain corners, the Portuguese driver had a good start, maintaining the second position. However, in the first lap, he missed a braking point on a slippery section (Turn 2), leading to going off the track. Despite keeping the TM engine running, Xavier Lázaro dropped to the last position. The 10-year-old didn't let this setback deter him and embarked on a remarkable recovery, ultimately finishing in sixth place.
Final With A Podium
There was heavy rain in the minutes leading up to the Final of the Mini Sub 10, resulting in a delay of about thirty minutes in the starting procedure. Declared a wet race, the drivers lined up in a single file. Starting from fifth place, Xavier Lázaro moved into the third position in the first lap, still in the initial sector. With the two drivers from Team Driver Racing Kart, Daniel Miron Lorente and Oleksandr Legenkyi, leading the race, Xavier Lázaro followed closely but opened a gap from the rest of the pack. As the race progressed, the battle between the top two became more intense, ultimately favoring the Ukrainian driver. Meanwhile, behind the wheel of the official DR kart, Xavier Lázaro comfortably maintained the third position, managing it with ease for the remainder of the race.
By securing the podium, the driver from Várzea de Sintra made history for Portuguese karting, etching his name as the first in the Mini category to achieve such a significant position in a competition organized by one of the most important event promoters in the sport, WSK Promotion.
With this result, Xavier Lázaro finished in fourth place in the WSK Euro Series in the Mini Sub 10 category. With a strong finish to the season, the DR team's driver remains motivated to compete in the two stages of the WSK Final Cup later this month in Lonato and Franciacorta.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency and Vasco Lázaro and Miguel Silva
