caption years championships birth_place teams races stagewins nationality points birth_date wins image article_title name podiums
panizzi in 2005 1990 -- 2006 0 roquebrune-cap-martin , alpes-maritimes peugeot , mitsubishi 71 91 france french 134 19 september 1965 7 panizzi2005.jpg gilles panizzi
 gilles panizzi 14
gilles panizzi

gilles panizzi -lrb- born 19 september 1965 -rrb- is a french rally driver on the world rally championship circuit .
gilles was born in roquebrune-cap-martin , alpes-maritimes .
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 -lrb- funded -rrb- 306 kit car .
it was at that point that he was nominated to drive for peugeot as their resident asphalt -lrb- tarmac/sealed-surface -rrb- expert .
between 1999 and 2003 panizzi had great success in his role as peugeot 's 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 .
he is the only wrc driver to do a -lrb- famous -rrb- 360 spin at the 2002 rally catalunya .
he was leading by around 45 seconds and decided to give the fans a little treat .
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 .
in 2006 , he was signed by the semi-privateer red bull skoda team .
despite a strong performance in the opening rally of the season in monte carlo , he expressed his dissatisfaction at the performance of his car , and after a disappointing showing in spain , he announced his departure from the team , and was replaced by his former peugeot teammate harri rovanperä .
