Perez in gear for Donington this weekend
Chesterfield’s race ace Seb Perez soars into his local circuit Donington Park this coming Easter weekend (15/16 April) for the next three rounds of the Michelin Ginetta GT4 Super Cup Championship.
The 17 year old Ginetta G55 race car driver and student at the prestigious Motor Sports Association College in Loughborough travels to the Leicestershire circuit after a sensational weekend at Brands Hatch just over a week ago (1/2 April).
Brands Hatch was Perez’s first weekend out in a new car and new race series for him after his last two seasons in the Ginetta Junior Championship, but in true racing style got on with the job at hand. Moving on up in motorsport is always a challenge and this was going to be a massive learning curve for him.
He was in action at the high-speed Indy Circuit track for the first time this season in a fiercely competitive field of 21 cars, and support race to the ever popular Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.
Televised live on ITV 4 , his talent was televised to audiences across the UK and further afield across Europe.
Saturday morning saw Seb finish in 8th position in qualifying with a best time on lap 6 out of the 16 lap session and a time of 47.808s and topping speeds on parts of the circuit of 124mph.
The afternoon would see two races with a third on Sunday and all eyes were on Seb.
The opening race of the weekend saw Perez 8th on the grid on the 4th row and has the lights went out a battle commenced with Perez getting a great start off the line gaining 2 places from Ladell and Jones by the end of lap one and into 6th place. He sustained 6th place for rest of the 16 lap race to cross the line in a great first race of his season finishing 9 seconds behind his JHR Developments team mate George Gamble from Nottingham who took the chequered flag in first place
After the race Perez commented:-
“It was all new and my first time out apart from testing I got a good start gaining 2 places and the car performed well.”
A third row place 6th on the grid gained from his finish in race one saw Perez ready for race two with a wet to drying track after a downpour before the race. A struggling start saw Seb drop to 10th on lap one and having some gearbox issues for a short time. Lap 4 saw Seb gain a place staying in 9th but dropping back to 10th on lap 8 and into 9th a lap later. A fast changing of laps commenced after with changing places and close racing with Ladell and Minshaw who were pushing him hard. He took the line and finished in 8th position.
The circuit had dried out of the start of race three with Seb in 7th on the grid on row 4 and the race being televised live on ITV 4. Lap one saw him loose three place to 10th and saw a safety car make an appearance for a short time on lap 9, Keeping in 10th place but by lap 14 he had made it to 6th place and staying in the same position until lap 26 where it gained a place to 5th where he stayed to take the chequered flag after 27 laps. The race saw team mate George Gamble again take first position.
Perez commented about the weekend “ it wasn’t a bad weekend at all, I have a lot to take from it and my first three races and it’s a massive learning curve” He added “JHR Developments have done a fantastic job on the car, the set up was great and sure there will be improvements for Donington”
Asked about the next three rounds at Donington Park this weekend and his home circuit he said “ I like Donington Park it is a good circuit its fast and flowing and have done some testing thee over the Winter so that will help”
So after a good weekend at Brands Hatch and a first outing for the new car Perez leaves the circuit in 5th place in the Michelin Ginetta GT4 Super Cup Championship Professional Driver class with 64 points and his team JHR Developments a first in the Team Championship with 140 points.
You can follow Seb and all the action on Sunday on ITV 4 where his races are televised live alongside the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.
Editorial and images by Paul Horton
