Perez back after break in season
MOTOR SPORT PAUL HORTON
MACCLESFIELD’S Seb Perez travels to Snetterton this weekend for his next attack in the Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship.
After a six-week summer break, the ever-popular race series that supports the British Touring Car Championship is back in Norfolk and Perez hopes to continue where he left off after the 12 opening races of the season.
Summer breaks are not easy for any race driver, but this has not bothered Seb. The 16-year-old student at Kings School in Macclesfield travelled to his school prom in a Ginetta road car – the same as he races – and became a star attraction.
He has had a deserved break and holiday but has been back on track in practice and ready for this weekend, as well as keeping fit and analysing his data and viewing footage from his previous races.
Last week saw him practising at Snetterton for the second time in a month, showing what his JHR Developments Ginetta G40 race car was made of with some fantastic times.
Only a few weeks ago he was secondfastest in the morning session at the circuit.
Perez’s first half of the season has seen a mixture of highs and lows. He has been placed well in most races so far.
It all started in April at Brands Hatch with two disappointing opening races due to brake and engine problems. Perez finished 11th and 10th.
He moved to Donington Park a couple of weeks later but was retired after being punted off track in the second race – finishing 11th in race one and 16th in race 3.
He went to Thruxton in Hampshire at the beginning of May where he outrun every other driver on the circuit in qualifying, taking fastest lap and his maiden pole position in the championship. Things didn’t go to plan in race one, getting black flagged and an 18th position finish. He was forced to retire after a shunt in race two.
After a month’s break, Oulton Park in Cheshire was the next stop for Perez and after race one he said: “This was my best race I have ever driven.”
He finished fourth, just missing out on the podium. In race two he finished 12th.
Before the summer break, Perez was in the driving seat again at Croft Circuit, North Yorkshire.
Qualifying went well with a first lap flyer only to get a time disallowed on lap three for exceeding track limits, before returning to pole for four laps.
A second row place was reserved for Seb in race one and once the lights went out he had a good start. Perez battled to tenth but got spun on lap six and got knocked back to 18th position in the field where he finished the race.
Race two saw him line up in 18th on the grid and take the chequered flag after eight laps in 11th position.
Race three saw Seb on the sixth row alongside Enzo Fittipaldi, the 14-yearold grandson of famous F1 driver Emerson. Perez made a great start again, where he pushed up to fourth only to lose out on a few places and finish a very respectable seventh place.
With five rounds to go Perez comes to Snetterton in 16th position with 94 points and his team JHR Developments, which runs seven cars in Championship is in third place with 458 points.
You can follow Seb on Sunday on ITV 4 where his races are shown live.