Perez steps up a gear in Ginetta Supercup for 2017
Chesterfield’s 17 year old race ace Seb Perez, has taken a step forward in his drive to become one of the Country’s best racing drivers, he will compete in the Ginetta GT4 Supercup Championship for 2017.
Over the past few months Perez has tested a number of options to find the right car and race series for him, during this he has tested Renault Clio and Formula 4, but his choice has stuck with the Ginetta G55 race car in the Supercup.
For the past two seasons Perez has competed in the Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship, Seb’s first full season in a Ginetta G40 race car back in 2015 saw him get top ten finishes at Croft and Snetterton, part of eleven top 15 places for the season. He finished 20th in the final standings.
After 25 rounds of the Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship in 2016, Perez finished the championship in 10th place with 339 points, taking his maiden pole position, a fastest race lap and four podiums, a first and three third places.
He continues his relationship with JHR Developments in 2017 as a team member. JHR and Seb worked very well together last season in the Juniors, helping each other that saw the team take 2nd in the Team Championship.
Last season JHR Developments concentrated on Ginetta Juniors and British Formula 4 Championship, Perez hopes he can start winning for the team straight away.
Perez said:-
“I’m looking forward to getting back with JHR, they had tremendous success with Tom Ingram who won the championship in 2013, let’s hope we can do the same.”
Tom Ingram’s racing career took off big style after winning the championship and now races in the British Touring Car Championship.
Steve Hunter, JHR team boss, added:-
“It’s been a pleasure to work with Seb and he’s been working on data engineering with Ginetta Juniors, so we have more than just a racing relationship.”
The 17 year old is a student at Loughborough College, home of the UK’s Motor Sports Association Academy (MSA) studying Business, Sports Science and Motorsport Engineering.
Motorsport is no stranger to Perez Jnr, he is son of 2014 BTRDA Gold Star Rally Champion and Chesterfield businessman Steve Perez, Chairman of Chesterfield based drinks brand development business Global Brands Ltd and owner of Amigos Tequila Flavoured Beer and Kick Energy Drink Brands.
Seb has competed in many motorsports including rallying, at the wheel of a Nissan Micra rally car in the Kick Energy Junior 1000 Rally Championship. Recently, during his break from circuit racing, Seb has been rallying in a Mk2 Ford Escort and two weeks ago saw him rallying at Brands Hatch in the Ford Escort Mk2 rally car of the late Roger Clark, the Cossack sponsored Ford Escort RS1800 was the winner of the 1976 Lombard RAC Rally.
Changing from forest tracks and rallying to circuit racing has been a learning curve for him but he has made it.
The Ginetta GT4 Supercup Championship is a 23 round series ran over 8 race weekends and is a support race to the British Touring Car Championship and races are live on ITV4 on the Sunday race day.
The action starts at Brand Hatch in 1st and 2nd April, followed by the local round at Donington Park on 15th and 16th April.
All eyes with be on Seb in his challenge to become the next Ginetta GT4 Supercup Champion by the end of September 2017.
Photography/Editorial: Paul Horton
