Former FIA Formula 3 driver Alex Peroni will contest the opening round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS at Phillip Island joining Mark Rosser in a Team BRM-run Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2.
Peroni is set to race on Australian soil for the first time following a stint pursuing a career in Formula 1. The Tasmanian was a podium winner in the FIA Formula 3 Championship against the likes of fellow Australian and now McLaren Formula 1 driver Oscar Piastri.
Moving to the US the next season, Peroni contested Indy Lights scoring a podium on the way to 10th in what was a part-season before transferring into prototypes in 2022 entering the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 Class.
Last year, Peroni joined Mercedes-AMG outfit GetSpeed Performance for the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup in the Bronze Class alongside Florian Scholze and Patrick Assenheimer.
Rosser makes his return to the class after racing S5000 and will once again race his spectacularly liveried Audi run by noted South Australian squad Team BRM.
A packed grid will contest the opening Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia event at Phillip Island on April 12-14, with two one hour races being part of the Shannons SpeedSeries schedule to be broadcast live on 7mate and 7plus.
QUOTES
Alex Peroni
Team BRM, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2
“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 finalise 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.
“I think Mark’s really excited. He hasn’t raced the Audi for a while and it will be competitive in Pro-Am racing against the likes of Chaz Mostert.
“The Audi is really good, it’s got a few handling traits similar to a single-seater and is something I couldn’t do in the previous GT cars I’ve driven. I felt good with the team straight away and I knew my engineer Marcus Koch from my days in Formula Renault Eurocup.
“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.”
Mark Rosser
Team BRM, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2
"It’s very exciting to have Alex with me,” said Rosser.
“It was a chance meeting with him. We were both at the Melbourne Grand Prix, we had a chat and put it all together pretty quick.
“We did a test recently and now I’m looking forward to getting on track with him.
“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 love GT cars. They are the coolest cars. They sound amazing and they look amazing. This category is made for people like me who start their racing career later in life and can jump in and be competitive.
“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.”