Weekend of Mixed Emotions for Seb Perez
17 year old Chesterfield race driver Seb Perez travels to Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire this weekend (6/7 May) to compete in the Michelin Ginetta GT5 Challenge, he changes cars for the weekend after a mixed weekend of racing at local circuit Donington Park just under three weeks ago in the Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup Championship of which he is a strong competitor.
Perez swaps cars this weekend as the regular series isn’t on the timetable at Thruxton, one of two weekends during the year, he swaps his Ginetta G55 race car to the G40 model, a car similar to his junior car what he has raced for the last two seasons in.
Seb is doing well a student at the Motor Sports Association Academy College in Loughborough – the home of young top and upcoming motorsport racers.
He took a lot of support to Donington with him in the way of local fans who were there to support him through the whole race weekend.
Donington was a tough weekend of mixed emotions and sadness both on and off track for Perez, to see his JHR Developments team mate and good friend, Billy Monger, involved in the horrific British Formula 4 crash and to learn that Billy had lost both lower legs.
Perez spoke about his friend Bill Monger:
“It was a emotional weekend for me and my team, Billy is a true hero, this weekend I will be racing for Billy, I wish him a speedy recovery and has a sport we all do as much as possible to help him recover”
The whole motorsport family worldwide have pulled together with more than £775,000 being raised online to fund the care, treatments and therapies he will need. Since the crash drivers teams etc have put stickers on there cars helmets and race suits with #BillyWhizz, Lewis Hamilton dedicated last weekend’s Russian Grand Prix to Billy.
Donington Park was Perez’s second full weekend out in the usual Ginetta Supercup car and a car that he is still getting to grips with gaining more experience every time out on track.
Saturday morning saw Seb go out for qualifying and finish in 11th position out of the 20 cars after an eventful few laps only to loose the car in his sixth lap at the Old Hairpin and take an excursion into the gravel and that was his qualifying session over. He had been topping speeds on parts of the circuit of around 130mph.
Saturday afternoon saw one race with two races on Sunday.
The opening race of the weekend saw Perez 10th on the grid on the 5th row and has the lights went out it wasn’t good enough for him to make any places up until lap 3 where he gained 2 places and after a sensational scrap with Higgins by lap 5 he was seventh.
He dropped to 8th place by lap seven with pressure from Hibbert, Higgins and White giving Perez a run for his money and by lap 12 had dropped into 9th position after being passed by the number 22 car of Green. He maintained 9th for the rest of the 15 lap race.
Perez commented after the race:-
“I am still getting used to the car, it is totally different to Ginetta Juniors”
Race two saw a 5th row position and 9th on the grid, by the end of lap one the safety car made an appearance after Minshaw and Tilley had a come together, as the lights on the safety car went out on lap 3 everyone had bunched together making it a difficult restart for Perez and seeing him drop back 11th after being overtaken by Somerfield and Gamble.
By lap 8 Seb gained a place to 10th after the leader Pointon went off loosing places and had gained another move up in the pack to 9th a lap later, he finished 10th after loosing a place near the end of the 17 lap race.
After a re-scheduled race and last race of the day Seb was on 4th row place and 8th on the grid for race 3. It saw Seb have a bad start loosing a place by end of lap one into 9th. But pushing the car to its limit he made it back up to 8th by start of lap 3 and dropping back down again a lap later and in 11th by lap 7, he kept this position to take the chequered flag in 11th place.
Perez commented about the weekend:-
“Donington was a tough weekend and there were a few teething problems with the car, it is still a learning curve for me and by Oulton Park in a few weeks we should be getting there.
“JHR Developments have done a fantastic job as usual on the car, with more improvements to come.
“I’m looking forward to the slightly different challenge this weekend behind the wheel of a Ginetta GT5 Challenge car but cant wait for Oulton Park and back in my usual car”
Perez comes to Thruxton at the weekend in 8th place after dropping 3 places in the in the Professional Driver class with 91 points and his team JHR Developments take a drop to second in the Team Championship with 201 points.
You can follow Seb and all the action on Sunday on ITV 4 where races are televised live alongside the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.
Editorial and Images by Paul Horton Motorsport Media and Photography
