Chesterfield rally-driver Perez shines in the Mallorca sun

But not for a welcome winter break. Instead he battled his way to a superb second-place in the Rally Sol de Ponent on the island, finishing just five seconds behind the winner after ten stages of competition.

Alongside navigator Gary McElhinney in his Porsche 911 RS, Perez was in the mix from the start, coming second or third in each of the opening six stages.

He then unleashed the power of the Porsche to record the fastest times of stages seven, nine and ten as he chased down the winners, Alberto Frau and Tomeu Mas in a nimble Mini Rallye R56.

The result left Perez and McElhinney in fine fettle ahead of their main goal, the XVI Rally Clasico Isla Mallorca, which takes place over three days in mid-March.

Perez said: “It was really good fun. We were a bit fortunate in that the first couple of stages were in our favour.

“We then had a bit of a loss for the first few afternoon stages due to them being very tight and twisty.

“The last stages were a bit of a mix, so we could use the power of the Porsche on the open sections. We were swapping stage times with Frau and Mas throughout the day, and it was an incredibly close finish.

“I gave it everything for the last two stages, but it wasn’t quite enough.

“We’re ready for the Clasico now. I finished third there in 2018 and second last year, so this time I’ve only got one option!”