Xavier Lázaro won the Final of the Mini Gr. 3 category this afternoon in the fourth round of the WSK Super Master Series at the Franciacorta Karting Track in Italy. The Portuguese driver started the decisive race from fifth place, steadily climbing the rankings to take the lead midway through the race. He momentarily lost the lead on the penultimate lap but confidently regained first place halfway through the final lap of the 10-lap race, securing his second victory of the year in a WSK Promotion event. The young Portuguese driver continues to make history in national motorsport. He is the first Portuguese competitor to win twice in a competition organized by the prestigious Italian promoter, WSK Promotion.
In all the practice sessions he competed in, Xavier Lázaro was always fighting for the top positions in the Mini Gr. 3 category. In Qualifying, he secured the second-fastest time of the session, just three-thousandths of a second behind the pole-sitter.
The Portuguese driver, who officially races for DR, the team of five-time Karting World Champion Danilo Rossi, also stood out in the three heats he competed in, finishing fifth, third, and winning the last one. Today, before the Final, he raced in Pre-Final B, where he secured third place.
The fifth and final round of the WSK Super Master Series will take place next weekend at the new Viterbo circuit, with Xavier Lázaro leading the Mini Gr. 3 standings. His main rival, Italian driver Niccoló Perico, crashed in the Final and finished only in 9th place, allowing Lázaro to extend his lead.
Missed Pole Position by Three Thousandths of a Second
As has been the case in recent rounds of the competitions he participates in, Xavier Lázaro was among the fastest in the Mini Gr. 3 category from the very first practice sessions. In Franciacorta, the young Portuguese driver missed out on pole position by just three-thousandths of a second. In his session (QS1), Lázaro was actually the fastest, setting a lap time of 53.508 seconds, standing out from the competition. However, in QS2, it was Alessandro Nanni (BabyRace Driver Academy-Parolin/Iame/VEGA) who posted the quickest time, clocking in at 53.505 seconds.
A Constant Challenge of Overcoming in the Heats
With the number of participants in the category being higher than usual in WSK Promotion competitions, the Portuguese driver raced in three Heats on his way to the Pre-Final. In each of them, he faced a tough challenge, often becoming a target on the track for many of his rivals, who, unlike him, are part of teams that field many karts in the Mini Gr. 3 category. Still, the young driver from DR delivered remarkable performances once again, showing that setbacks only make him stronger for the future.
In the first of the three heats contested, Xavier Lázaro started from second, on the outside of the track. However, right in the first lap, he dropped to 20th place after being caught in a collision between the two drivers following him, Lorenzo Di Pietrantonio (Kidix Driver Performance-KR/Iame/VEGA) and Stan Ratajski (BabyRace Driver Academy-Parolin/Iame/VEGA).
Without giving up and showing his maturity behind the wheel of a Mini Gr. 3 kart, Xavier Lázaro set out to make a comeback. Knowing when to make the right moves to overtake opponents on the Franciacorta track, the Portuguese driver steadily climbed through the ranks during the eight laps of the race, finishing in sixth place. However, one of the drivers ahead of him (Marc Loomets) was penalized with a five-second time penalty, allowing Lázaro to move up to fifth place.
In the remaining two heats, the DR driver started from pole position, on the inside of the track. In Heat 2, Xavier Lázaro was competent but once again faced the aggression of his rivals. He led at the start and throughout much of the race, but by the end of the eight laps, he finished in third place, focusing on avoiding major battles to secure a spot among the top finishers.
In Heat 3, the Portuguese driver was once again very active in the fight for the top spot, but this time he managed to avoid the "maneuvers" of his rivals, winning ahead of Harry Williams and Mason Robertson, both from the BabyRace Driver Academy.
He Could Have Won But Finished Third In The Pre-Final.
This morning, Xavier Lázaro started in second place for Pre-Final B. Facing the disadvantage of starting on the outside line, the Portuguese driver dropped to sixth place during the first lap. Once again showing his strength in managing the race, the DR driver began climbing positions, while staying clear of some incidents occurring ahead of him. Within a few laps, he reached second place and simply followed the leader, French driver Stan Ratajski. Lázaro appeared to be faster and was mainly managing the race. On the final lap, he attempted to pass his opponent on the outside, but the French driver defended his position, leaving Xavier Lázaro open to an overtaking move by Mason Robertson, who was in third. In the final lap, Lázaro tried to at least recover second place but had to settle for third.
New Victory In a Mini Gr. 3 Final
For the Mini Gr. 3 Final, Xavier Lázaro started from fifth place, just behind his main rival in the competition, Niccoló Perico (Team Driver Racing Kart-KR/Iame/VEGA). On the front row, once again, the BabyRace Driver Academy drivers swapped positions, with Stan Ratajski on pole position starting on the outside, and Mason Robertson on the inside. The start of the race was chaotic, but Xavier Lázaro kept his composure and held onto fifth place, while Niccoló Perico lost positions and was now behind the Portuguese driver. On the third lap, Lázaro moved up to third place, behind Ratajski and Jean Poujol (Tonykart Racing Team-Tonykart/Vortex/VEGA), with Mason Robertson and Niccoló Perico just behind. On the fourth lap, Lázaro moved up to second place and, by the end of the lap, took the lead. On the fifth lap, an incident occurred involving several drivers. Jean Poujol went wide on a right-hand turn, and Mason Robertson attempted to pass. The two drivers made contact, and those behind them, including Niccoló Perico, got involved in the incident. Fortunately, there were no physical consequences for any of the drivers, which is a relief.
At the front of the race, Lázaro and Stan Ratajski worked together and pulled away from the others. On the penultimate lap, the French driver passed the young driver from Várzea de Sintra, but at the start of the final lap, Lázaro regained the lead in his DR/TM Kart/VEGA and maintained it until the end. He won ahead of Stan Ratajski, with Dutch driver Cees Muijs (Spinoproject Racing Team-Energycorse/Iame/VEGA) surprising everyone by finishing in third place. Xavier Lázaro's main rival in the WSK Super Master Series standings, Niccoló Perico, managed to continue after the earlier incident but finished in 9th place.
Xavier Lázaro continues to lead even more in the Mini Gr. 3 category ahead of the final round of the WSK Super Master Series, taking place next weekend at the Circuito Internazionale Viterbo.
Photos: Sportinphoto Kart Photo-Agency
