2004 British national rally champion Steve Perez will make his first assault at the classic Incas Rally this year, one of the most demanding and unique events in the world, where he will tackle 2700kms of mixed gravel conditions on the vicious roads of the Peruvian Andes.
Perez will compete in the Group N4 class with a Mitsubishi EVO IX sponsored by VK Vodka Kick and prepared by Britain's BTR Preparations under the name of Peru VK Rally Team.
The crew will partner local team Orlandini Racing to get the car ready and tested for the competition and for the service throughout the route. Orlandini Racing is owned by young talent and 2006 Peruvian Rally Champion, Raul Orlandini, whose late father won the event a total of five times.
The Incas Rally is a classic event with more than 40 years of history which have seen some of the best drivers in the world like Hannu Mikkola, John Buffum, Tony Fall, Jorge Recalde, and most recently Juha Kankkunen take their chance at this long distance event, one of the few left in the world.
Perez has competed in other unique events like the East African Safari Classic with co-driver Michael Stuart and Rally Barbados with Neil Dashfield and Howard Davies. This time he will be partnered by local co-driver Michael Baca, a resident of Orlando, Florida, who helped Peruvian rally legend Henry Bradley achieve his seventh Incas Rally victory in 1988.
“The Incas Rally is one of the few remaining classic rally challenges and I am one of the few Europeans to compete over there,” said Perez. “Peru is a fascinating country I have always wanted to visit. The roads and stages look amazing with altitudes of up to 15,000 feet (5,000m) where we will actually carry oxygen on board!”
“I am joining a top Peruvian team who will show me the ropes. I was runner up in the Group N class in 2003 in an EVO VII and while it’s not quite the same as the Ford Focus WRC that I’m used to driving, it’s going to be very exciting!” he added.
The event has five legs and starts in Lima September 11. It travels through the historic cities of Huancayo, Ayacucho, Cuzco, and Arequipa, before returning to the capital on September 21 for the ceremonial finish.
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