Xavier Lázaro completed his second appearance (in eight days) in a competition under the auspices of WSK Promotion this weekend in Lonato. In what will be a season largely dominated by participation in races on Italian soil, the nine-year-old driver is showing that all the effort and planning for his competitions will bear fruit. In the opening stage of the Super Master Series, Xavier Lázaro was significant, ranking as one of the fastest in qualifying, consistently staying within the top 10 in the heats, and securing a top-six position in Pre-Final A. In the Final, he faced some challenges in maintaining a pace that would allow him to compete for the top 10, but in the last three laps of the race, he managed to climb from 22nd to 16th place, the best possible classification in a frenetic race. The overall outcome for this weekend is highly positive, leaving excellent indicators for the remainder of an intense season in which the Portuguese driver completes the entire WSK event calendar.
"Xavier performed very well overall this weekend", said his father, Vasco Lázaro. "He was a protagonist in Qualifying, then simply focused on the goal of finishing the heats within the top 10, and today he had an excellent race in the Pre-Final. In the Final, where he started among the strongest, he couldn't quite maintain the pace he wanted, but in the last laps, he managed to regain some positions to finish 16th."
Second-best Time of the Series in Qualifying
Xavier Lázaro arrived focused and completely uninhibited for the first stage of the WSK Super Master Series. Comfortable in Lonato, the Portuguese driver quickly showed that he wasn't there just to 'take a stroll' on another visit to the South Garda Karting. In the Qualifying session, in his series, Lázaro secured the second-best time. His lap in 56.620s left him only 0.076s behind the best lap. The young driver from Várzea de Sintra positioned himself ahead of some notable names in his category, such as Niccolo’ Perico (Energy Corse) or Seba Eskandari (Tonykart Racing Team).
Managing in the Heats – Going on the Attack in the Pre-Final
The performance of the Portuguese driver from DR in the three heats was enlightening regarding his progress in international competitions, clearly demonstrating the maturity he has been gaining on the track. Starting each of the three races preceding the Pre-Final from the second position, Lázaro was particularly effective in avoiding any issues that could push him to the back of the pack. With the goal of securing a position at the front of the grid in the Pre-Final, the DR driver focused on finishing the races without encountering any setbacks.
For all three races, Xavier always started from the less favorable side of the track, knowing that he would have to wait for the initiative of the driver starting in the first position next to him. In the three races, with caution, he lost some positions in the early laps but remained focused on finishing without issues and within the top 10. He secured the seventh position in Heat 1 and finished eighth in the following race. In Heat 3, he had his best performance. Despite a less successful start, where he lost several positions, he didn't give up and attacked to secure the fifth position, showcasing some noteworthy driving moments.
In the Pre-Final, the nine-year-old showed once again his determination and how comfortable he already feels in a highly competitive environment. Starting from the seventh position, Xavier Lázaro made a strong start and quickly jumped into the top four, shortly afterward taking the second position. He even built a good lead over the two drivers behind him, but with some lack of speed in the DR, especially on the straight, the Portuguese driver was eventually caught and overtaken. Always very competitive, he fought for a podium position, but in the last laps had to deal with the very strong pace of several drivers in the front pack. He managed to finish in sixth place, a result that rewards what was perhaps his best performance in this opening round of the Super Master Series.
Learning at Another Level in the Final
Despite this being Xavier Lázaro's second appearance in a Sub-10 final within the space of eight days, the truth is that, for the 1st stage of the Super Master Series, the Portuguese driver found himself in a new scenario: starting the race at the front, in a grid of 36 competitive participants. The start of the 10-lap race wasn't fantastic for the DR driver, who started from the 11th position, losing several places in the early laps and dropping to 22nd place at one point. However, as the race progressed, Xavier Lázaro found his best rhythm, managing to climb several positions in the last laps, ultimately finishing in 16th place. The Portuguese driver still struggled with some lack of pace in the DR, a problem he had already experienced in the Pre-Final and, apparently, couldn't resolve for the decisive race.
A week of rest awaits Xavier Lázaro, who will return to Italy later this month to compete in the second stage of the WSK Super Master Series at Franciacorta from February 16 to 19.
