Alex Peroni refused onto international airline until his motorsport team came to the rescue

An international airline refused 20-year-old Tasmania motor racer Alex Peroni onto his flight to Spain until the “cavalry” came to his rescue from the other side of the world.

Tasmanian racing car driver Alex Peroni testing in Bahrain. Photo: Dutch Photo Agency

TASMANIAN Alex Peroni’s comeback to the FIA Formula 3 championship in Europe next month almost ended before it began when Spain refused him entry into the country.

Heading back to his European base in Valencia, near the town where his F3 team Campos is based, Peroni was refused to be checked onto his international flight in Melbourne on Thursday.

The airline told the 20-year-old motor racer from Hobart that Spanish authorities were refusing to approve his entry into the country and would not board him onto his flight.

Only the intervention of his team from Spain at the last minute rectified the problem.

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He was allowed onto the aircraft 10 minutes after check-in had closed.

Peroni was the fastest F3 driver in pre-season testing before the coronavirus pandemic shut down sport worldwide.

Alex Peroni in the make shift gym at home he's been training out of. Alex Peroni motor racing driver is about to depart Hobart for Spain to make the return to racing in the FIA Formula 3 championship in Europe. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

The F3 race at the Formula One round in Austria on July 5 will be Peroni’s first since his spectacular airborne crash in Italy last year.

Back to full health and fitness, the young Tasmanian is looking forward to racing again.

“Not because of the crash. I’ve been in the car since then and had testing and that went well and I was just really looking forward to racing,” Peroni said.

“Everything got put on hold, so I’m really excited and hopefully I can keep the momentum from testing.”