Vratsa (Bulgarian: Враца, also transliterated as Vraca or Vratza, in some languages with a W) is a city in northwestern Bulgaria, at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Vratsa Province. As of February 2011, the town has a population of 60,482 inhabitants.

The city of Vratsa is a commercial and crafts centre and a railway junction. Vratsa accommodates textile, metal processing, chemical, and ceramics industries.

The city of Vratsa is picturesque. It is nestled in the foothills of "Vrachanski Balkan" (Vratsa Mountain), with the Leva River calmly crossing the city, and enormous and fearful rocks overhanging the roofs. The city is 116 km away from the national capital Sofia.

The area has diverse and attractive natural features, which together with the opportunities of recreation gives a special charm of the eastern part of the Northwest Bulgaria. Several protected natural attractions and historical monuments are located on the territory of the Vratsa State Forestry.

Sergio Pérez Mendoza (born January 26, 1990 in Guadalajara, Jalisco), also known as "Checo" Pérez, is a Mexican racing driver currently racing for Sauber in the 2012 Formula One season. Pérez, who currently resides in Schindellegi, Switzerland, is the younger brother of former champion NASCAR Corona Series driver Antonio Pérez and is also a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy. He also took his first Formula One podium at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Pérez competed in the United States-based Skip Barber National Championship in 2004. Driving for a team sponsored by Mexican telecommunications company Telmex, he finished eleventh in the championship.

Pérez moved to Europe for 2005 to compete in the German Formula BMW ADAC series. He finished fourteenth in the championship, driving for Team Rosberg, and improved to sixth position the following year.

In the 2006–07 A1 Grand Prix season, Pérez took part in a single round of the championship for A1 Team Mexico. He was the third-youngest driver to take part in the series.