Peroni Joins Field for Phillip Island Season Opener

Alex Peroni will join the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS field for next weekend’s opening round at Phillip Island, driving an Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II.

The 24-year-old from Tasmania will race on home soil for the first time as he partners Mark Rosser at Team BRM for the curtain-raiser on April 12-14.

After spending two seasons in FIA Formula 3 and another year in Indy Lights, Peroni switched to sports car racing in 2022, contesting the European Le Mans Series for Algarve Pro Racing that year before switching focus to GT3 racing last year.

He raced for Mercedes-AMG squad GetSpeed in the Fanatec GT Europe Endurance Cup last year, and had his first taste of the Audi he will race at Phillip Island in a recent test.

“I’m really excited to be racing at Phillip Island,” said Peroni. “This opportunity kind of came out of the blue. Everyone in Europe needs big money for multiple years and it’s so hard to get into, so we tried our luck in Australia and spoke to a few people.

“We got onto Team BRM and Mark Rosser, but it’s really come out of nowhere. We met at the Grand Prix to finalize things very briefly and now we’re racing next week!

“It’s crazy, I’ve been circuit racing since 2015 and I’ve never raced in Australia or any tracks, so it’s a whole new challenge for me.

“It’s good because I get to be home with my family in Tasmania, which is a big plus for me after being on my own on the other side of the world for the last nine years.

“We’ll focus on getting Mark comfortable in the car, which he can then push to the limit and get the most out of. For me, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it, but the first lap straight out of the box felt great and I can’t wait to race in Australia for the first time.”

Rosser, who returns to Fanatec GT Australia after a year spent racing S5000 single-seaters, added: “The test went well. Our pace was good. We were both giving similar feedback and happy with where the car is at and confident that we’ll put on a good show.

“I’ve noticed a lot more Pro-Am combinations in the field and there are some really good ones. I think it will be a competitive season of close racing and lots of battling for podiums.”