​Mixed weekend for Perez pair in Mallorca

​It was a lad and dad weekend for the Perez family, as race and rally superstar and son to Steve, Seb Perez was battling against his dad on the same event but retired on the final stage of the weekend’s rally in Spain.

Seb’s dad, renowned rally driver and Global Brands drinks boss and entrepreneur Steve Perez with his co-driver, an old favourite in the Perez camp, Paul Spooner, took the class win in style and saw them finish the event with a respectable 14th place overall.

Both Perez senior (67) and junior (24) were on form from the start with Seb aiming to better last year’s third place podium and a class win, but knew it would be a challenge with dad Steve behind the wheel and settling in nicely.

Steve started the rally in the historic #15 Franklin and Son-sponsored Ford Escort MK2 RS1800 with Seb alongside in the #6 Amigos Tequila Beer 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RS with regular navigator Gary McElhinney, both prepared by Chesterfield’s Dansport.

With an entry of 40 cars and over the 90.80km, 14 asphalt special stages and two legs, the first four stages were run over Friday evening in darkness followed by a further ten stages on Saturday during the day and into the night, so the pair know the going would get tough.

Out of the 40 competing cars most were modern day rally machines, easier to drive and handle than the Perez pair’s classic Porsche and Escort, but that didn’t match their sporting histories that was a spectacular sight on the tight and twisty tarmac stages of the island.

The first stage of the day, SS1 Sa Coma 1, couldn’t have been better for Seb and Gary, taking second fastest and 4.1 seconds a drift on the leader, while Steve was in 20th spot.

Seb remained in command and nibbling off the seconds off the leader by the end of the second stage in the dark, with Steve making up a spot to P19.

By the end of the evening stint, Seb was in sixth place and making up places to put the Escort to bed for the night in 12th spot.

As Saturday’s daylight appeared it was a damp start on the tarmac roads, but Seb was back on it and straight into P4 by the end of SS5 Andratx-Estellencs 1.

A stage later and Seb was in third place, remaining there until stage nine, but the car was suffering a water pump issue that saw them slip back not P11.

Dad Steve was still on it with some fantastic stage times being achieved and into 14th place and catching Seb up.

Seb upped a gear and got back into the running by SS11, and he was in P3 and had potential for a podium, with Steve lying 13th overhaul.

A stage later, further issues saw Seb drop back into 11th spot and Steve five places behind in P16.

The last stage of the leg saw Seb retire due to mechanical issues after getting the Porsche back into third spot and Steve was into 17th place overall.

As Steve finished the event, he crossed 14th overall with a fantastic Group 6 class win for the Escort.