For the first time, Xavier Lázaro managed to break into the top 10 of a Final in the Mini Sub-10 class. This achievement took place in the third round of the WSK Open Series, held this weekend in Castelletto di Branduzzo, northern Italy. On the track in the province of Pavia, Lombardy, the Portuguese driver concluded a weekend where consistency was his strongest attribute.
After being among the fastest in the official Thursday practice sessions, Xavier Lázaro confirmed his good pace when rain arrived on the track. However, he ended up losing some competitiveness in the timed practices, being hindered by the two drivers ahead of him on the track. He couldn't do better than the ninth time in his group (18th in the overall Sub-10 classification).
Para as Eliminatórias, o piloto da Várzea de Sintra foi bastante regular, saindo do meio do pelotão e conseguindo evitar envolver o seu DR em ‘confusões’, terminou as três corridas que determinavam o posicionamento para a Pré Final em 16º (por duas vezes) e 12º.
Starting the Pre-Final from 13th, Xavier Lázaro couldn't make progress in the pack, ultimately finishing in 14th, a position he maintained at the start of the Final. In a race where he consistently ran in a highly competitive group, the Portuguese driver defended well his position on the track, managing to gain places in the final phase of the race and finishing in 10th place. This marks his best result in WSK competitions so far.
“O Xavier conseguiu gerir uma prova em que não estava tão competitivo como noutras jornadas, materializando um bom resultado, o seu melhor até agora em Itália”, his father, Vasco Lázaro, expressed satisfaction at the end of the race. “Agora segue-se a preparação para o regresso a Cremona, uma pista onde o Xavier se sentiu muito à vontade”.
Competitive in Dry and Wet Conditions
Num traçado onde testou nos dias seguintes à etapa da Cremona, Xavier Lázaro mostrou-se competitivo logo nas primeiras sessões de treinos, tornando a ser um dos pilotos referência de grande parte do pelotão na hora de sair para a pista. Foi dos mais rápidos na 5ª feira e manteve os níveis de competitividade quando a chuva cercou a pista nos arredores de Milão. Os indicadores competitivos que foi evidenciando davam a ideia de que estaria forte no Qualifying, mas a realidade provou-se diferente. Embora tenha estado rápido na sua série, Xavier Lázaro acabou prejudicado por dois pilotos que à sua frente entraram em disputa direta, precisamente durante a volta em que o jovem da DR pretendia obter o seu tempo. O resultado foi o nono registo do seu grupo, que se traduziu no 18º lugar da geral na Mini Sub-10. A volta em 54,745s deixou o piloto português a sensivelmente oito décimas da ‘pole position’.
Heats and Pre-Final Without Issues
Knowing that with the result obtained in Qualifying, he would always be in the middle of the pack for the three heats to be contested, Xavier Lázaro was aware that it was important to finish the races without major problems to ensure a good position in the Pre-Final. Therefore, the DR driver focused on being consistent, which he achieved, finishing the three races without major issues. With fewer participants competing in the Mini Sub-10's at this stage of the season, but with all the big names in the category present, the level of competitiveness is very high, making it not always easy to progress in the pack. In the first two heats, Xavier Lázaro finished in 16th, with the final race before the Pre-Final being the one where the nine-year-old driver stood out, securing 10th position.
In the Pre-Final, starting from 13th, Xavier Lázaro fought hard but not only couldn't gain positions, but was also overtaken by the Swedish driver Maximus Unt (Tonykart), finishing in 14th.
Smart Race in the Final
After the points were tallied, Xavier Lázaro finished the Final in 13th place. In a highly competitive race on a very technical track, the Portuguese driver engaged in battles with several competitors over the 10 laps of the race, at times moving up and at other times dropping positions. In the final phase of the race, Xavier Lázaro managed to progress in the pack, demonstrating intelligence in his maneuvers. This resulted in his best performance so far in an event under the WSK umbrella. The DR driver finished the third round of the Open Series in the top 10.
“Estou muito feliz com este resultado”, said Xavier Lázaro at the end.
At the end of the race, referring to the weekend and the close lap times, his father said, “A equipa trabalhou muito este fim de semana. Durante os primeiros dias o Xavier teve sempre dois chassis para ir à pista, podendo experimentar várias soluções e abordagens”.
Xavier Lázaro continued, saying, “Após esta prova, regressamos a Portugal por uns dias, para na semana seguinte estarmos em Cremona na quarta etapa da Super Master Series. O Xavier este ano vai estar em Itália ainda mais tempo que o inicialmente planeado, já que decidimos proceder a algumas alterações no seu calendário competitivo. Em breve anunciaremos o que há de novo”.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
