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Gilles Panizzi grew in a family of impassioned, and he was often at the edge of the roads to see the French rallies, such as Monte Carlo, the Antibes and well of others. In 1987 Gilles crossed the step and bought a Opel Manta GT/E For his first race, the Nice rally , he finished 23rd with the scratch. In 1988 Gilles was joined by his brother, Herve. With them two, they train a very effective crew and which more is very sympathetic nerve. Immediately, they will be made locate, for Manta slips about it everywhere and which makes super stopwatches that it notices.
In 1989 Gilles and Herve give up Manta to rent Renault 5 GT Turbo in the specialist in the moment: Automeca. With performances of very first order, Gilles will be elected at the end of the year Hope of the year by the magazine Echappement. I 1992, Gilles and Herve pass a notch to the top and train an effective team of assistance. They were registered for the second year to the Peugeot Shell Cup which they fly over. Gilles and Herve will gain the five first sleeves. Their victory (the sixth) enables them to gain the Wheel, to them giving them First Wheel Official for the year following. They finished the season with the support of Peugeot Talbot Sport and classified second of the Championship of France 2° division and seventh of the Championship of France 1° division. With their new statute of professional, in 1994 Gilles and Herve began behind the wheel of Group A Peugeot 106 XSi and besides that they are able to take part in three rallys with a Lancia HF Integrale. In 1994 they drove again with Peugeot, but the season was devoted to the development of the Group A 306 S16. Season 1995 was difficult since Jean-Pierre Nicolas, boss of Peugeot Sport entrusts to Gilles and Herve the settling of the any news Peugeot 306 Maxi. At the beginning of May they took part in the Tour de Corse with the 306 S16 for whom it is the last official appearance. They finished in the third place of the podium 2 liters. In the French Rally Championship F2 category they were 3rd. In 1996 Gilles and Herve tackled their fourth season at Peugeot Sport. They went up for the first time of their career on the highest walk of the podium. They gained six victories, finished four times second and once third in eleven races. Gilles and Herve gained their first ever French Rally Championship. They had waited eight years this dedication. In 1997 one takes the same ones and one starts again; this well-known proverb sticks perfectly has this springtide. Like in 96,Gilles and Herve gained the first sleeve of the Championship. In April they take part with the 306 Maxi in Catalunya rally. They take the head of the rally to the beard of the kadors of the Championship of the World. A puncture breaks their dream but they finish with the 3rd place with the scratch and first 2 liters. Fifteen days later with the Tour de Corse it is exactly the same scenario which produit. At the finishing of the season, Gilles and Herve were crowned French Rally Champions for the second consecutive year. In 1998 Peugeot decided to make its return to the World Rally Championship. In the Catalunya rally they finished 6th with the scratch. In Corsica, a large brawl with François Delecour began. But the rain slowed down Gilles and Herve and they were not able to compete screw-A-screw to the World Rally Cars. During their " spare time " Gilles and Herve, thanks to their personal sponsors set up a small program to take part in some rallys of World Championship being held on the gravel; this in order to acquire experience from different rallies. They finished 35th place in Rally Finland with Group N Peugeot 106. September 14th, Gilles and Herve resigned for two years with Peugeot Sport. Then they took part in the San Remo rally. There after a difficult beginning of rally, Gilles being sick lasting the first day, The brothers finished 5th and 1st of the F2. At the end of November, Gilles and Herve took part in the Rally Great Britain with a Group N Subaru Impreza. After two days of race difficult, where the brothers were to learn the automatisms from a 4X4, they started to make very honourable times. But on the first special stage of the third leg, they were constrained with the abandonment, gearbox broken. In the Rallye Monte Carlo 1999, on his first ever world rally championship event in a World Rally Car, he was leading sensationally the rally but a good result was lost due to a crash on the final day. Driving with the privately-entered Subaru Impreza WRC, he was the only driver to fight against the winner Tommi Mäkinen. At the Corsican Rally, Panizzi joined the Peugeot WRC team, where the team began its second attempt on the top with 206 WRC. In San Remo the brothers was leading the rally but was beaten by Tommi Makinen. Finally in Corsica 2000, he achieved his first world championship rally win and won also the next event - Italy. In 2001 the Frenchman will not contest all the rounds, but on those he does, he will be a contender for victory. |
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1987 - Opel Manta Rally debut
1988 - Opel Manta 2nd in Ligue Côte d'Azur 1989 Elected "Espoir de l'Année Echappement" 1990 - Lancia 4th Group N, Monte-Carlo 1991 - Peugeot Participates in Volant Peugeot 309 : 2 victories 1992 - Peugeot Winner of Volant Peugeot 309 : 6 victories 1993 - Peugeot Official Peugeot driver 6 victories in class (106 Gr.A) 1994 - Peugeot Official Peugeot driver with 106 and 306 Gr.A 1995 - Peugeot Official Peugeot driver with 306 S16 and 306 Maxi 2nd Rourgue3rd Mont Blanc4th Cévennes3rd in French Rally Championship 1996 - Peugeot 306 Maxi Official Peugeot driver 1st Lyon Charbonnières 1st Ronde Cévenole 1st Mont Blanc 1st Limousin1st Touquet2nd Grasse Alpin2nd Tour de Corse (WRC)2nd Cévennes 3rd Rouergue French Rally Champion 1997 - Peugeot 306 Maxi 1st Lyon Charbonnières 1st Rouergue 1st Limousin 2nd Touquet 2nd Cévennes 2nd Var 3rd Catalunya (WRC) 3rd Tour de Corse (WRC) French Rally Champion 1998 - Peugeot 306 Maxi 1st Corte Ingles (European Championship) 9th Monte-Carlo - 1st F2 6th Catalunya 4th Tour de Corse 5th San Remo 10th in World Rally Championship 1999 - Peugeot 206 WRC Leads the Monte Carlo with private Subaru but retired.2nd San Remo7th Great Britain33rd Finland10th in World Rally Championship 2000 - Peugeot 1st Corsica Rally 1st San Remo 6th Catalunya 7th in World Rally Championship |
