Xavier Lázaro ended his WSK Super Master Series campaign today in second place in the Mini Gr. 3 category. After entering the final round as the clear leader, with a 76-point advantage over his closest rival, the Portuguese driver ultimately lost the ‘championship’ on the final corner of the last lap of the Final. At that moment, Niccoló Perico took the lead of the race, securing the only result that would allow him to claim the title.
After delivering a brilliant performance throughout the five rounds of this WSK Promotion competition, winning two of them (Sarno and Franciacorta), Xavier Lázaro had a tough weekend at the Leopard Circuit Viterbo. A challenging Qualifying session saw the 11-year-old set only the 17th fastest time, forcing him to start from ninth place in the three heats. Nevertheless, the young DR driver managed to secure solid results, finishing fourth in two heats and eighth in the third.
Today, Xavier Lázaro started the Pre-Final B from fifth place and managed to finish in third, allowing him to start the Final from ninth. With the decisive race taking place under heavy rain—forcing the field to start in a single-file formation and complete the first two laps under yellow flags—the Portuguese driver struggled to get the best performance from his equipment, spending most of the race in 12th place. On the final lap, he climbed to 10th, which would have been enough to secure the WSK Super Master Series title, had his main rival, Niccoló Perico, not inherited the victory on the very last corner of the final lap.
After showcasing his talent and fighting for victory in the WSK Super Master Series, Xavier Lázaro ultimately secured the runner-up position, finishing just nine points behind the winner.
A Qualifying to Forget
Despite showing strong pace during the free practice sessions for this final round of the WSK Super Master Series, Xavier Lázaro fell short of expectations in the session that mattered most. The Portuguese driver could only manage the ninth-fastest time in his group and 17th overall in the Mini Gr. 3 category. In this session, he focused on controlling the pace of his main rival in the competition, Italian driver Niccoló Perico, who also struggled to deliver a strong performance.
As a result of his Qualifying performance, Xavier Lázaro found himself starting the heats from positions he hadn’t been in for a long time. Lining up ninth on the grid, on the inside of the track, the young driver from Várzea de Sintra faced a tough challenge in Heat 1. He got off to a good start but ended up getting "stuck" behind Stan Ratajski when the BabyRace Driver Academy driver made a mistake and dropped several positions. Staying calm and focused on the "championship," Xavier gradually regained places, though it was evident that his engine was slightly underperforming. Despite this, he managed to finish the race in fourth, securing a solid result.
In Heat 2, Xavier Lázaro was particularly competent. Without taking risks and occasionally struggling with the chassis, he secured another fourth place after starting from ninth. Heat 3 was the most challenging for the Portuguese driver. He got off to a good start from ninth but lost positions on the first lap. However, he managed to climb back up to fourth. Near the end of the race, he tried to overtake for third place on the outside, but his opponent, Jean Poujol, didn’t allow it, causing Xavier to lose several positions. On the final lap, he got caught in the middle of a battle between several drivers, finishing in eighth.
Within the Goal in the Pre-Final
This morning, Xavier Lázaro raced in Pre-Final B, right after watching his main rival in the Super Master Series battle finish Pre-Final A in second place. Starting from fifth and aware of the importance of finishing well in this 10-lap race, the young DR driver was very competent, trying to take advantage of the few opportunities to gain positions. On the final lap, as he was preparing to finish fifth, he saw the contenders for third place make contact and then shortcut the track. Alessandro Nanni (BabyRace Driver Academy) and Jean Poujol (Tony Kart Racing Team) were both disqualified from the race. As a result, Lázaro secured third place, losing only 10 points from the 76-point lead he had over Niccoló Perico before the Final.
So Close, Yet So Far From the Title
In heavy rain, Xavier Lázaro started the Mini Gr. 3 Final from ninth place. The challenging track conditions forced WSK Promotion to decide that the drivers would start the 10-lap race in single-file, with the first two laps under yellow flags. The race effectively only began on the third lap, and it quickly became clear that Xavier Lázaro’s DR kart was not in a condition to fight for the front positions or defend his lead in the WSK Super Master Series. The Portuguese driver was perhaps the only one to start the race with a new tire, but he still couldn’t compete with the drivers ahead and even dropped to 12th place for much of the race. Meanwhile, at the front, Achile Rea (Birelart Racing SRL-Birelart/TM Racing/VEGA), who had led alone from the start, began to lose pace on the final lap, eventually being overtaken by his compatriot, Niccoló Perico, who needed to win to claim the Super Master Series title. Perico achieved this in the final corner, just before the checkered flag. In this "dream scenario" made possible for the Italian driver, Xavier Lázaro gave it his all to climb to 10th place, but it wasn’t enough to avoid finishing as the runner-up, just nine points behind.
"I gave my best on track, but this weekend things didn't go as I had hoped", said Xavier Lázaro at the end. "I want to thank my team for the work they have done with me and to my family, who are always by my side. I look forward to new opportunities to continue proving my worth.".
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
