Xavier Lázaro raced in the 1st round of the WSK Euro Series this weekend at the Italian track of Franciacorta. Returning to the Mini Sub-10 category, where he competes throughout the WSK Promotion calendar, the Portuguese driver managed to overcome a weekend marked by significant competitiveness challenges to reach the Final, ultimately securing 10th place. In the most crucial race of the Mini Sub-10 category this weekend, the young racer from Várzea de Sintra started 21st and quickly moved up to 15th place by the end of the first lap. Over the 10-lap race, Xavier Lázaro pushed his OTK/TM Kart/VEGA from SM Racing to its limits, finishing in 10th position.
Behind him, the 10-year-old left a weekend full of adventures, but it served to show how strong and determined he is to fight for the best positions on the track.
After qualifying with the 18th best time among the 47 participants in the Mini Sub-10, Xavier Lázaro had excellent performances in the Heats, with a noteworthy 5th place finish in two of them. The result in Heat 2 was less positive, as a three-second penalty left Lázaro in 12th place.
No dia de hoje, as coisas não começaram bem, já que o piloto português viu uma excelente prestação em pista ser manchada pela desclassificação da Pré-Final A, por condução antidesportiva, na qual o piloto português foi acusado de defender ‘em excesso’ a sua posição em pista. Esta decisão indignou tanto o piloto como a sua equipa.
Despite the 'negative energy' from a bad start on Sunday, Xavier Lázaro did not let himself be discouraged. Even relegated to 21st position on the starting grid for the Mini Sub-10 Final, the SM Racing driver had a great race, finishing in an honorable 10th place.
Great Performances on Track in the Heats
Despite the young driver from Várzea de Sintra hoping to be at the highest level of competitiveness at the start of a WSK Promotion calendar competition, the truth is that the TM engines he had at his disposal never delivered as expected. SM Racing worked hard throughout the weekend to ensure that the equipment available to Xavier Lázaro would help him fight for the best positions. However, despite all the effort, Xavier Lázaro was never in a position to fight "toe to toe" with the best in the Mini Sub-10.
In Qualifying, it was not possible to do better than 18th place, which meant starting the Heats from the fifth row of the grid.
Despite struggling with technical competitiveness issues, Xavier Lázaro performed very well in the Heats. He had three great races, achieving a top-five finish in two of them. However, one Heat saw the Portuguese driver's performance tainted by a three-second penalty. The penalty came after a position battle between Xavier Lázaro and David Moscardi (KR/Iame/VEGA). Xavier Lázaro was ahead of the Italian opponent when Moscardi attempted to overtake him, resulting in contact that momentarily put Moscardi off track. At the end of the race, Xavier Lázaro was summoned to the Race Direction, which accused him of excessively defending his position. This incident isn't the first time the Race Direction in a WSK Promotion event has issued a controversial penalty against Xavier Lázaro.
And Then He Was Disqualified From the Pre-Final
After yesterday ended in disappointment for the Portuguese driver, today things went from bad to worse when, following the conclusion of the Pre-Final, Xavier Lázaro was disqualified from it. On the track, the driver continued to struggle with competitiveness and fought as hard as he could to maintain a good position for the Mini Sub-10 Final. He raced fairly, but once again, the race direction in a WSK Promotion event proved to be unduly harsh towards Xavier Lázaro. Once more, the Portuguese driver was accused of excessively defending his position on track and was consequently disqualified from the race. Following this decision, there was significant outrage in the SM Racing camp, with everyone incredulous about this procedure that tarnishes the sportsmanship of a good driver who respects his competitors. At the same time, as has happened before, the race direction showed inconsistency in evaluating the on-track behavior of drivers participating in WSK Promotion events.
For the Final, Xavier Lázaro started with his grid position affected by the disqualification from Pre-Final A. Starting the 10-lap race from 21st position, the Portuguese driver demonstrated his competitiveness and determination on track, turning weaknesses into strengths to achieve the best possible result. By the end of the first lap, the SM Racing young driver had already moved up to 15th place, and in the following laps, Xavier Lázaro continued to perform at a high level. He briefly held the ninth position but ultimately settled in 10th place, where he finished the race. Lázaro pushed as far as he could in the race, though he couldn't contend for the top positions. Despite not being as competitive as in previous stages, the 10-year-old might have had a say in the fight for the top five if not for the setback of the Pre-Final disqualification.
"I am very proud of Xavier's performance this weekend, and I am sure that everyone in the team is very pleased with him", at the end said his father, Vasco Lázaro. "Xavier had to fight hard to be competitive on a track where he has always been fast. But today and this weekend, I am certain that he takes away a tremendous lesson for the future and comes out much stronger mentally and much better prepared to fight against the adversities that were too many these days. It was a weekend of suffering, but I am very proud of Xavier's performance.".
Xavier Lázaro returns to competition on the weekend of July 18-21 to participate in the 3rd round of the ACI Italian Karting Championship in Sarno.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
