Xavier Lázaro wrote one of the most beautiful chapters in Portuguese motorsport history today by winning the FIA Motorsport Games in the Karting Sprint Mini category for Portugal. At eleven years old, the young driver from Várzea de Sintra became the first Portuguese racer to bring home a Gold medal from this event, recognized as the ‘Olympics’ of motorsport. Additionally, Xavier Lázaro has already etched his name into karting history at this event by becoming the first-ever winner in the Mini category.
The result achieved in the Karting Sprint Mini Final crowns three days in which Xavier Lázaro truly dominated the category. To reach the Final of the event held in Valencia at the Aspar Circuit, Xavier Lázaro competed in three Heats: he won the first and third heats, and finished fourth in Heat 2—a race he led until the last lap, when he was hit by American driver Joshua Bergman. The Team USA driver ended up winning, while Lázaro finished in 5th place.
Today, Xavier Lázaro started the Final from third position and quickly showed his intentions, battling for victory alongside Joshua Bergman, Bennet Korjus (Estonia), Nuvola Morales Mendez (Spain), Joshua Bergman (USA), and Jay Kostecki (Australia). In a spectacular race spanning 11 intense laps, Xavier Lázaro fought hard to stay at the front and within reach of victory, ultimately taking the lead on the last lap, where he managed to pull away from the competitors who had been ahead. Demonstrating remarkable competitive maturity for an 11-year-old, the Portuguese driver left no chance for his opponents when it mattered most, winning with a 2.03-second advantage over Bennet Korjus, while the Spaniard Nuvola Morales secured the final spot on the podium.
At the end of the race, Xavier Lázaro couldn’t hide his happiness at achieving a goal he had always aimed for: bringing gold to Portugal. "I always said I wanted to win this race, and no matter who came as my opponent, I came to Valencia to win". The Portuguese driver didn’t forget to mention those he owed gratitude to for his presence at this edition of the FIA Motorsport Games. "First, I want to thank FPAK for the honor of choosing me to represent both them and Portugal at this event. Then, I have to thank my parents for their continuous effort and dedication so that I can compete and grow in karting. For this event, I had the support of Frederico Duarte as my mechanic. ‘Fred’ is someone I greatly admire, with a remarkable career as a driver and now working as a mechanic for Parolin. His knowledge and experience were invaluable to me over these days. I can't thank everyone enough—I am so happy and proud to bring the gold from the FIA Motorsport Games to Portugal for the first time. Tomorrow morning, I already have school, and I’ll probably bring the medal to show my classmates!", confessed a very happy Xavier Lázaro.
Photos: Vasco Lázaro and Miguel Silva and Miguel Silva
