Perez pair star in Belgium and Portugal races

Two weeks ago, the 23-year-old was in the Six Hours of Spa race at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps where he finished second in class in the historic endurance race.

Last weekend saw him take a short trip across Europe to compete with dad Steve Perez in the Peter Cup 2 Litre Estoril Classic, where the dynamic duo took second in class and finished in the overall top ten rankings in a magnificent 8th place.

Seb has been competing in the prestige Peter Cup 2 Litre Cup all season with some fantastic results. The race series is for identical Porsche race cars and one of the only one make series in the World for 911 series Porsche models.

Perez’s championship winning weekends started at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium for the Six Hours of Spa where he and his two endurance racing team mates Philip Kadoorie and Marino Franchitti raced a one of a kind #86 Shelby AC Cobra to its limits.

The trio had a great free practice and 90 minute qualifying session that saw them finish 18th overall and third in the P5 Class.

Their race day was just as successful, as the lights went out to start the race they showed from the start that a win could be on the cards. Out of the 104 laps completed by them, by the end of the first hour’s racing they were in 11th place.

By the end of the two-hour mark and 36 laps of the 4.3 mile circuit they had dropped back into 26th slot after pit stops for fuel and tyres. They were on it once back out again and a hour later they had put the car into 11th spot and leading their class of car, topping speeds of over 145kph.

The trio were consistent during the next two hours, keeping the pace going and still leading the class with the British team of Smith, Much and McCraig pushing them to make a mistake and drop a place as four hours showed on the timing board.

By the five hour mark they were still leading and keeping and class contenders at bay and only in the latter part of the final hour Smith, Much and McCraig in their Jaguar E Type demoted them into P2 in class with less than 30 minutes left, after such a strong race virtually from start to finish, to see them take the chequered flag in 11th out of the 87 finishers and second in P5 Class.

Last weekend saw Seb joined by dad Steve, more well known for his championship rally driving accolades in the past. It was the first time Perez senior had been circuit racing for some time and would be a challenge for the Dad and Lad endurance team.

Steve Perez had competed in only around three circuit races previously and around 200 rallies, so it would be a great learning curve for the rally driver and would be looking on his lad to give him the right advice.

Their speed machine was the Tuthill Porsche-prepared #41 Franklin and Sons-sponsored short wheelbase 2.0 litre 911 1965 Porsche 911 and was looking immaculate.

It was a car to be to be driven with your whole body, quite different to the modern day machinery seen on race or rally tracks.

It was the final round of the 2022 season with an entry list of 21 identical Porsche race cars to be raced

The weekend welcomed an Indian summer. It all started from Friday onwards, engines roared on the Estoril layout, first of all with private practice to enable drivers to get to know the track and its 13 corners and then on to the qualifying sessions before race day.

Friday’s private practice session saw the pair in command from start of the day, completing 17 laps. Seb went out first for six laps taking second fastest on four of the first five laps. He handed the reins over to dad for the final 11 laps to familiarise himself with the historic beauty of a race car.

Perez junior topped speeds of over 204kph and a time of 2:05.973s.

Qualifying saw Seb as the anchor-man and out for the first nine laps. Steve followed on the final four laps and an average time between them of 2:09.223s take 10th fastest and only 3.7 seconds off number one spot.

For the race Steve was already to start proceedings, he lined up on row four all ready and awaiting with some uneasiness as to what was to come in the 90 minute race,

He completed the first 16 laps with ease and still learning the car on every lap, by the end of his time in the seat he had lost a few places and made some back up. He put a great fight on and as he peeled off into the pits on lap 16 in P15, Seb was ready and waiting.

The car was fuelled up and new tyres fitted and Perez was out in 18th place.

Seven laps later Seb had pointed the car into 14th place and was pushing hard.

On average he was gaining a place every two laps, on lap 32 he took the Porsche on its fastest lap topping 196kph with a time of 2.06:717s.

As the flag came out on the 41st lap to signal the time was up, Perez crossed the line, a well-earned eighth place overall and a podium second in class.

After the busy two weekends Seb said: “The Spa 6 hours was incredible, driving the AC Cobra, one of the few original cars on the grid, we led the race for around five and a half hours and got pipped at the end. It was such a pleasure to be in a race car with such provenance and heritage.”

“Estoril went well we had a good weekend, it was a learning curve for my dad going from 200 rallies to around three circuit races before, he got to speed and enjoyed every minute of the weekend.”

This weekend Seb Perez swaps race gloves for rally boots, he is back on home soil action on the rally tracks of the Forest of Dean on the Wydene Stages Rally in a rally Porsche 911 Carrera RS.