General News

‘Checo’ Perez ‘Show Run’ draws huge crowd

Some 130,000 spectators gathered along Avenida Vallarta and around Guadalajara’s Minerva Fountain Tuesday to watch a demonstration run of a Formula One car driven by local hero Sergio “Checo” Perez.

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Formula One driver Sergio “Checo” Perez performs spins at the Minerva Glorieta during Tuesday’s “Show Run.”

Fans started arriving at the Minerva traffic circle just after midnight in order to stay awake throughout the night, thus ensuring a good view of the much anticipated “Red Bull Show Run.” Others who arrived closer to the 10 a.m. start time found themselves with a restricted view, prompting some bolder fans to climb telephone poles and trees to get a glimpse of the action.

Perez did several laps of the circuit in the Red Bull car that Sebastian Vettel drove to the F1 title in 2013, interspersed with a score of showy spins that drew loud cheers from the excited crowd. Once the demo had finished, a beaming Perez rode in an open-top car around the circuit, clearly relishing the adoration of his hometown fans.

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Security personnel move quickly to intercept a boy who ran onto the track to get near Checo Perez, his idol. Magnanimously, the Tapatio driver told them to refrain, calling the boy over to him and posing for a selfie with him.

Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro and Guadalajara Mayor Pablo Lemus milked the occasion for all its worth, saturating their social media accounts with images of the event, but not everyone was pleased that the area around the Minerva was sealed off for three days, causing multiple traffic snarl-ups and upsetting neighbors’ daily routines.

After his hometown antics, 31-year-old Perez dashed to Mexico City to prepare for this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix. He came third in last year’s race in his Red Bull car, but a win on Sunday would put the icing on his 10-year F1 career.

Although teammate Jan Verstappen has already won the 2022 F1 championship, Perez is in a tight battle for second place. Only two points separates him from Charles Leclerc of the Ferrari team, who is currently second. Two races remain after Sunday’s race in Mexico City, in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.