Xavier Lázaro secured seventh place today in the OKN-Junior category at the Leopard Circuit Viterbo in Italy, in what was the opening round of the WSK Euro Series, a competition organized by WSK Promotion. In only his second race in the category, the 11-year-old showed increasing confidence at the wheel of the DR/Modena/VEGA, managing to stay within the top 10 for almost the entire weekend.
From the Qualifying session, held on Thursday, it quickly became clear that Xavier Lázaro was becoming increasingly comfortable adapting to a much larger and more powerful kart. The young driver from Várzea de Sintra came close to securing pole position in the timed session, finishing with the seventh-best time — less than a hundredth of a second behind the fastest.
In the three Heats, Lázaro initially ranked seventh among the 35 participants. His best result of the weekend came in Heat 2, where, with a determined drive, Xavier Lázaro climbed from seventh place to finish third. In the final race before the Pre-Final, he placed 10th.
This morning, during the Pre-Final, the Portuguese driver faced some tire-related issues and couldn’t do better than 12th place. For the Final, Lázaro started from ninth and quickly moved up to seventh. He consistently ran close to the leaders and ultimately finished the race in that same position, despite having to defend against a rival all the way to the checkered flag.
Xavier Lázaro’s busy racing schedule continues next weekend with the second round of the ACI Sport Italian Karting Championship, also taking place at the Leopard Circuit Viterbo.
Increasingly Adapted to OKN-Junior
Depois de uma estreia segura na categoria durante a etapa de abertura do ACI Sport Campeonato Italiano de Karting, no difícil traçado de Ugento, Xavier Lázaro chegou já bem melhor preparado a Viterbo, para correr o primeiro confronto da época na WSK Euro Series. Ainda com 11 anos, é vísivel que Xavier Lázaro ainda não tem a compleição física da maior parte dos seus adversários na OKN-Júnior. Mas, como os ‘homens não se medem aos palmos’, o jovem da Várzea de Sintra mostrou logo no Qualifying que vem para evoluir mas quer competir. Saiu da sessão que define a ordem de largada nas Eliminatórias com o sétimo melhor tempo, a menos de uma centésima de segundo da pole position, o que apenas não conseguiu em consequência de um ligeiro erro, ao ser demasiado agressivo na abordagem a uma das curvas do Leopard Circuit Viterbo, perdendo tempo ao ‘saltar’ um corretor.
Finished One of the Heats in Third Place
Starting from seventh place for the Heats, Xavier Lázaro consistently demonstrated through his performance on track that, at this stage of the season, the priority is to complete as many laps as possible under race conditions. The young driver from Várzea de Sintra was especially effective on the course that ultimately determines the starting grid for the Pre-Final. In Heat 1, the young DR (Danilo Rossi) driver performed solidly, finishing in the same position he started from. He proved to be quite competitive and already among the fastest times, in an OKN-Junior category that is more fiercely contested this year.
Na Eliminatória 2, garantiu o melhor resultado do fim de semana, com um notável terceiro lugar. Agressivo em corrida e a mostrar que aproveita as oportunidades que lhe são proporcionadas, Xavier Lázaro foi ‘galgando’ lugares e garantiu o seu melhor desempenho até agora na categoria. Na derradeira volta, teve que se defender, mas mostrou que é bravo em pista e vão ter que contar com ele, ainda que este seja um ano de aprendizagem.
For the final Heat, DR made some adjustments to Xavier Lázaro’s kart chassis. As is sometimes the case, attempts to improve performance don’t always produce the desired results, and the Portuguese driver wasn’t able to replicate the pace he had shown up to that point. He ended up finishing slightly below expectations, in 10th place.
You Learn Through Struggles Too
Para a Pré-Final, Xavier Lázaro largou do oitavo lugar, do lado de fora para a Curva Um de Viterbo, o que é sempre uma desvantagem. Além disso, a equipa do piloto português optou por fazer esta corrida sem utilizar pneus novos, o que o deixava ‘frágil’ para alguma da concorrência. De referir que o piloto português tem ainda contra si o muito lastro que utiliza no seu kart para atingir o peso regulamentar, já que aos 11 anos, Xavier Lázaro é ainda bastante pequenino e leve, comparado com os seus adversários. Como muita da sua concorrência montou dois pneus novos para a Pré-Final, Xavier Lázaro teve que saber sofrer na corrida de 16 voltas (mais quatro que nas Eliminatórias). Ainda assim, o jovem da DR esteve forte em pista, defendendo-se o possivel e conseguindo terminar em 12º. Não dava para fazer melhor.
Final Performance Shows Very Positive Signs
Starting from ninth place in the Final on fresh tires, Xavier Lázaro quickly moved up to seventh. Consistently among the front runners, he applied pressure on the sixth-place driver, Ukrainian Oleksander Legenkyi (KR/Iame/VEGA), never giving the Team Driver Racing Kart competitor a moment’s rest. At the same time, he also had to defend against Finnish driver Lenni Makinen (Parolin/TM Kart/VEGA). On the final lap, Makinen—racing for LA Motorsport—launched a last-ditch attack, but Xavier Lázaro held his ground brilliantly, showing composure and determination to secure a strong seventh-place finish.
In just his second race in a new category, competing against some of the best drivers in the world, Xavier Lázaro is already proving that—even in his learning year—he's a name to watch at the front of the pack. At this stage in his development, you truly couldn't ask for more.
The competition doesn’t stop—and neither does Xavier Lázaro—as he returns to the Leopard Circuit Viterbo next weekend to race in the second round of the ACI Sport Italian Karting Championship.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
