Gilles Panizzi

WRC driver
Name = Gilles Panizzi


Caption = Panizzi at the 2005 Cyprus Rally.
Nationality = flagicon|France French
Years = 1990–2006
Teams = Peugeot, Mitsubishi
Races = 71
Championships = 0
Wins = 7
Podiums = 14
Stagewins = 91
Points = 134
First race = 1990 Monte Carlo Rally
First win = 2000 Tour de Corse
Last win = 2003 Rally Catalunya
Last race = 2006 Rally Catalunya

Gilles Panizzi is a driver on the World Rally Championship circuit.

Gilles was born in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France on 19 September 1965. Like many of his fellow rally racing countrymen, Gilles spent a great deal of his developmental driving years participating in asphalt rally events throughout his native land.

In 1996 and 1997, Gilles won the French Championship title in a Peugeot-backed (funded) 306 kit car. It was at that point that he was nominated to drive for Peugeot as their resident asphalt (tarmac/sealed-surface) expert.

Between 1999 and 2003 Panizzi had great success in his role as Peugeots tarmac expert. He won a total of seven World Rally Championship rounds in this period - all on tarmac. However, Panizzi's inability to match his rivals pace on gravel precluded him from challenging for the world title while at Peugeot.

In 2004, Mitsubishi Motorsports recruited Gilles and his co-driver and brother, Hervé, to lead the company's charge back in the World Rally Championship.

In the 2005 season, Gilles was replaced in the lead car by Harri Rovanperä, and guested in the second car with Gianluigi Galli. He finished 3rd at the Monaco rally, the first event of the season, but only scored points in one other event.

WRC victories

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Sources

* [http://www.wrc.com WRC.com] - the official World Rally Championship website.
* [http://www.gillespanizzi.com Official Website] - note: inactive as of April 2006