18/12/06 - Gigi wins the Memorial Bettega

Gigi wins for the second time in a row the Trofeo Memorial Bottega!

The driver of Livigno doesn’t make any mistake since from the first parts of qualifications on Saturday. With his Peugeot 307 WRC Pirelli, he wins all the matches against his group rivals (Longhi, Mikkelsen e Campedelli) and at the quarter-final on Sunday he becomes the driver to defeat.

“The rivals were really tough!” – Gigi confesses at the end – “As every year, this race presents at the start a lot of top level drivers  and trying to be successful in this track is always very difficult! When I lost with Atkinson, during the Coppa Salvay, I was really annoyed and finding him again made me feel more stirred to action”

Gigi actually wins against the Australian driver with a great 2-0 and so he  passes to the final. There he has to face the fast Finn Toni Gardemeister who, in the other semi-final,  had defeated the young Campedelli, great surprise of the event.

After an enthusiastic duel ended with a 3-1, that made go crazy all the people watching from the tribune, Gigi managed to reach his second success at the Memorial Bettega. He also finished the XXII° edition of the italian kermesse signing the best lap of the race, he did it  in 47,73”.

“I want to thank Pirelli and Bozian Racing! Thanks to them I cuold take part at this beautiful event…” – says Gigi – “I’m very happy I won, I hope this could bring me luck for the next season. We are working for it, trying to complete our world program.

11/12/06 - The Hungarian journey

How could we refuse an invitation of such a keen and friendly organisation?
Gigi and John couldn't give up the idea to take part as forerunners in the Mikulas Rallye, the Hungarian race on dirt road.
"The rally organisation contacted us some time ago and they wanted to invite us as guests to the 2006 Hungarian rally race. We thought about this invitation and then... thanks to the many lovely e-mails from the Hungarian fans, we took part in the race...it was wonderful!!!"
So Gigi and John participated at the race as forerunners with the Toyota Corolla WRC car. The Toyota was given by the organisation and it was managed by a local Hungarian team. On the sides of the car there was the uncommon  Gigi’s number "025" as usual.
Gigi said: "The atmosphere during the race in this country is excellent!"
" John and I did our utmost to give a great time to the loads of people on the roadside! The race and the car were very amusing and so was the dirt road!"
Gigi ended with these words: "I would thank heartily the Hungarian people for the wonderful welcome and for the beautiful moments they gave us, they are very keen on rally!!"

10/12/06 - Return at the Memorial Bettega

“At last I’m  racing again!” – says the driver from Livigno.

Gigi couldn’t miss the Italian kermesse. He absolutely must defend his title as champion of Memorial Bettega 2005 … and he’ll do whatever he can to confirm that.

Thanks to Pirelli’s  support , Gigi  drives one more time the car he drove his  last four rallys : the Paugeot 307 WRC.

The car will be assisted by the Bozian Racing French team, heiress of most of the official Peugeot Sport equipment.

“Taking part at the Memorial Bettega is always a great pleasure!” – he openly confesses – “I hope to repeat the last year result, even though this time I will need  some rounds to remove the rust  I accumulated during these last months…”

Actually, Gigi doesn’t drive a WRC since  the Neste Oil Rally Finland, in august. Months of forced inactivity that probably will come out during the first bends of the show, but surely it won’t affect the ability of Livigno’s wolf.

24/08/06 - After Finland 2006

And to top it all off, a great party with the guys and girls from the fan club. “To thank them” says Gigi. “There were really lots of them present in Finland and their cheering me on really made a difference. Their incredible passion and commitment really boosts my spirits.”   And all the fans had good reason to thank him. First of all for the second best time achieved on Ounipoja, and then for finishing in 5th position overall. “I had a bone to pick with that stage. That was where I went off road last year, and this year I promised myself not to think about it and drive as good and fast as I could. “ And he did. Wonderfully. Magnificently. Leaving behind everyone but Marcus Grönholm.  Arnaldo Bernacchini comments: If there was still a Team Manager like Cesare Fiorio (John’s father) around, he would not even have waited for the Finland Rally to end before presenting Gigi with a contract for the rest of the year and the seasons to come. But Fiorio has left Rallying many years ago and Gigi must accept to race at irregular intervals, at least for this year. It’s not easy, especially when every race could be the last and Gigi has to compete with drivers who are certainly fast but also get a lot of time practising in their car.   Not every day but almost. “I, on the other hand,” says Gigi” “haven’t been in a WRC car since the day before last of the Sardegna Rally, and the vehicle I’ve been driving the most this summer was an excavator.” But he’s not complaining. That’s not his style. He thanks Pirelli again for having contributed greatly, not only for the tyres, but for making all the arrangements for this expedition to the far North and jokes: “My greatest adaptation was not using a car with mechanical differential again; it was not having the levers that make the excavator turn from side to side.” And then he adds on a serious note “In the first stages of Finland I realized that I wasn’t using the whole road to my advantage. That’s normal, but once I did, it was too late for me to try to fight for the podium.” That’s normal. An whoever knows about rallying understands.

27/05/06 - Post rally d'Italia Sardegna

A swim. Before leaving Sardinia, Gigi dove into the emerald waters of the Mediterranean. “It was too inviting,” says Gigi. “I had a swim as soon as I got off the ferry, but the water was colder than I expected, so I quickly came out of the water. But I had to try again.” And he did, because The Wolf never gives up, he never has and never will. “I am stubborn,“ admits Gigi. However, that’s not the whole truth, because if you are only stubborn you don’t go far in life. And he has gone far: from the first race on ice in the famous yellow Fiat Uno with the mechanical parts of the Celica to a podium of the WRC. He is nothing if not determined, The Wolf.    Rally-fans from all over the world were the first ones to figure that out. Day by day, they became a Legion and now that Gigi’s future is uncertain, they are livid. Gigi would like to soothe them with some good news, but he can’t. Now that the cooperation with Mitsubishi and the mini program of three races with Jackie Bozian’s Peugeot 307 has ended, the future is still uncertain. But Gigi doesn’t give up. “Of course not,” he says, “even if there is nothing on the horizon at this moment, I will continue to fight to find a seat for the rest of the season. And who knows, maybe something will turn up.”    Once again he thanks those who have given him the opportunity to enter in Corsica, Argentina and Sardinia. “Without the support of Pirelli I wouldn’t have been able to be at the starting ceremony in Ajaccio, Cordoba and Olbia. Paul Hembery and the other chiefs at Pirelli have been fantastic in giving me another possibility, and I will never forget that. That is why, in Sardinia, I was very disappointed to not be able to take part in the last fight for the podium that was within my grasp. Disappointed for them and for all my fans that had come so far to see me and to give me their warmth and love.” But he has nothing to apologize for; it was a mechanical problem (radiator) that stopped him in the second Leg. “Right after the time-control, Giovanni Bernacchini and I tried to fix the problem, but there was nothing we could do.”

However, the balance after the three races with the Peugeot 307 is largely positive. Not only due to the podium achieved in Argentina; that was just the memorable icing on the cake, a podium achieved after a perfect race. “I think I have done what I could to show that Pirelli tyres are indeed competitive,” says Gigi. And in doing so, he has confirmed that he has all the necessary skills to be a top contender in the WRC.

12/04/06 - After Corsica

Christmas this year already arrived on April 6th for Gigi, at Ajaccio harbour, in Jackie Bozian’s Team tent: a splendid yellow 307 WRC with his favourite number 25 on the doors. He looked at the car in the same way kids look at the toys they had wished for - and found - under the tree, before heading for Sanguinarais shakedown. The plan was to run the stage as many times as possible in order to get a feel of the car, but due to traffic that was not possible. So after a couple of passes Gigi decided to go back to the service area and wait for the evening’s start-ceremony.  The new adventure started on Friday morning, with the usually tension of any debut, and knowing that there was no room for error in a race that isn’t at the top of his favourite list. Gigi made no mistakes and he was congratulated by those who know how to read the final standings.” I’ve really enjoyed myself, I took it easy at the start and then went faster and faster” says Gigi. His times confirm that: 14th on stage 1, 12th on stage 2, 10th on stage 3, 8th on the final stage of the day.” I honestly didn’t want to make any changes, but Pirelli insisted, so we modified a little. It was a good idea but on Saturday I had to start to get the feel of the car all over again. It is incredible how little is needed to change the set-up of a car with active differentials. It didn’t take much for Gigi to adapt himself to the new set-up, after finishing 13th overall he started the final day in 9th position with an amazing 5th best time on stage 8. He didn’t manage to catch Sarrazin and gain a WRC point, but did a great job and brought the car to the finish line.  “I did not forget for a single moment that it was crucial for me to get to the finish line, and I didn’t take any risks” Gigi confirms. He doesn’t forget who made all this possible: “Paul Hembrey and all the Pirelli management have been wonderful, I won’t forget that.” With a car unknown to him, his gap from Alexandre Bengué who’s a tarmac specialist, was only 4 tenths of a second per km. Gigi’s already concentrated on the next two WRC events “I’ve started dreaming about Argentina's and Sardinia's gravel…” confesses Gigi.

04/04/06 - Tour de Corse

”What a beautiful car!” It’s been a long day but before going back to the hotel, Gigi turns his eyes to take another look at the yellow 307 WRC in which he will compete in the Tour de Corse at the end of this week. Gigi has the dreamy-eyed look of a little boy on Christmas morning who has been given his most wanted present: a competitive car to return to compete in WRC after 4th position in Sweden.  After 130 km of tests near Ajaccio, Gigi gives his first impression of the car “ It’s very different from the Lancer, easier to control than I thought, probably due to the active differentials, which really are active” Gigi explains with great humour. He also points out that no modifications have been made to the car “It was too risky with only one day to go” The 307 is still a top car, which gave Peugeot a second position in last year’s manufacturers championship, so I am the one who has to adapt to the car, and not the other way”. Only the gearbox has been modified ”I have a lot to learn about this car so I decided to use the gearbox in the same way I used to in the Lancer, that will be a great help for me. About the car set-up I prefer to take indications and advice from Bozian’s engineers”  Everyone at Bozian Team appreciated Gigi’s decision and there’s already a great feeling, and respect between both parts” These guys are very professionals and that makes everything much easier” says Gigi who also add that he didn’t had any problems with his new seat-position which is very different from the one he used to have. The ball is in his hands now, Gigi knows that “ I can’t promise anything but once again I will try my best to reward and thank Pirelli for their great effort to allow me to compete in here. And I would love to do that in this race”

29/03/06 - Gigi starts his collaboration with Bozian

700 km is the distance from Livigno to Lyon. Quite a long trip even for someone who’s job is driving a car. Gigi undertook that trip in the same happy mood he was in on his way back from Salou, after taking part in the Catalunya recce, and finally being confirmed for Corsica in a 307 WRC run by the Bozian Rally Team. The car in which he sat on Tuesday 28th, so that the French mechanics could fix the new seat the way he likes it. “I was only there to arrange my new seat, I won’t be able to test my new car until next Monday” Gigi explains. His visit in France helped him start his collaboration with his new Team. “I’ve had a great welcome and discovered that Jacky Bozian really is exactly as he seems: a person with plenty of entusiasm, who pours not only great professionalism but also his heart into his work.”    Closing the deal that will allow Gigi to take part in the 5th event of the season wasn’t easy. “ After Sweden, when I found out that my collaboration with Mitsubishi would end there, I started to look for other seats with the help of Mario Fornaris. It’s not easy jumping on a moving train, but thanks to Pirelli we were able to pull it of. Paul Hembery (Manager of Pirelli Competizioni) once again showed his faith in me, and I will try my best to reward him with a great result. Anyway this will be my first WRC event with a different car than the Lancer, and I can’t wait to discover the reactions of the new car and adapting to a different driving style than I was used to. Gigi is also curious about active differentials.”Last year we were the only ones to use passive differentials, now I am the one to use the active, while the Big Boys will use the passive ones. It may be my destiny always to swim upstream, but I won’t complain. As we say: better late than never.    The exams for Gigi never end, and the one that awaits him next week in Corsica is a tough one. But not tough enough to scare him “It would have been worse if I didn’t have this chance. I know that Marcus Grönholm was doing a great job last year before his clutch broke, and even Nicolas Bernardi made some great times on the last day, but I don’t expect to do better than them. What I want is to make my best effort in order to honour and thank Pirelli.”

27/03/06 - Gigi Galli at the Tour de Corse in a Peugeot 

GIGI GALLI AT THE TOUR DE CORSE

IN A PEUGEOT “POWERED BY” PIRELLI

Milan, 25 March 2006 – A Peugeot on Pirelli tyres will be back in a world championship event in the Rally of France-Tour de Corse, which will take place in two weeks time. The team, comprising Italians Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini, will compete in the fifth round of the World Rally Championship in a Peugeot 307 CC entered by the team of Jacky Bozian. The agreement, currently only valid for the French rally, will see Pirelli Competizioni support the involvement of Galli-Bernacchini more or less entirely, with the added help of the sponsors of the team itself. The Peugeot 307 CCs prepared in the Bozian atélier have already demonstrated many times their high level of competitivity, as seen by the third place of one of their cars driven by Austrians Stohl-Minor in Mexico on 5 March. Pirelli will provide the French car with its latest evolution P Zero tyres. The Director of Pirelli Competizioni, Paul Hembery, said, “Entering them in a Peugeot 307 CC for the Tour de Corse, Pirelli Competizioni confirms the confidence it has in Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini. Based on their performance in the past driving a Mitsubishi, we are of the opinion that, even driving a car new to him, Galli has the talent to also shine in Corsica. While we are evaluating if and how we can extend this collaboration in the future, Pirelli Competizioni awaits a response in the French rally with confidence”. Gigi Galli remarked, “ Obviously I would like to thank Pirelli for the support it is offering myself and Bernacchini to continue to compete at a top level. It will certainly not be easy to debut in such a special rally as the “Corsica”, but I think I can do well and repay in the best way possible the confidence the Milan tyre manufacturer has in us. The quality of the cars prepared by Bozian goes without saying, a reason for which I will do everything I can to perform at the level of the Pirelli P Zero-Peugeot 307 CC level”. The 2006 Tour de Corse-Rally of France will see Galli-Bernacchini start from Place d’Austerlitz in Ajaccio on Thursday evening 6 April to take on the three scheduled legs until Sunday 9 April on the Napoleonic island in a Peugeot 307 CC in Pirelli’s dynamic red and yellow livery.

07/02/06 - Swedish Rally

Gigi says thanks. In Sweden he gave his fans an amazing weekend, but he’s the one who says thanks. He says thanks to those who helped him to compete there and what’s more “I cannot forget that without Pirelli’s and RallyArt Italy’s great help all this wouldn’t have been possible. I will also never forget what Isao Torii did to help after Mitsubishi’s withdraw from WRC.   I must also thank all the boys from the Fans Club for the great support and love they gave me from the start to the end of this event.” Gigi’s fans were never quiet, already from Thursday’s shakedown they started dancing and singing and continued for the entire weekend, only to stop on Sunday night many hours after the final ceremony in Karlstad.” Amazing indeed “I couldn’t hear them from my car, but I could see their white and blue jackets, and that gave me a great emotion every time” Gigi had the chance to hear them, and end this event in a great way at Alfie’s, an Italian restaurant in the centre of Karlstad. The final 4th position deserved to be celebrated, and the disappointment of not finishing on the podium needed to be forgotten. “I am not angry. I’ve no reason to be. I am just a little bitter, because a guy like me doesn’t have many chances to fight for a WRC podium, but it’s ok. Daniel Carlsson did a great job and a 4th position is still my best result ever in the WRC.”  The battle between Mitsu drivers was an exciting one. They switched position 10 times, and at the start of the last stage the difference between them was 2 tenths of a second. Less than nothing, that’s why they both decided to keep fighting until the last meter of last stage. Final result was decided by Gigi’s Lancer gearbox, a minute after the start of Stage 19th “I was in 4th gear, tried to put the 3rd but went in neutral so I thought that the problem was the same as in Montecarlo. There was nothing I could do, I then tried to put 4th gear back in, fortunately I was able to do that and I never changed gear until the end of the stage” That’s Rallying, Gigi knows that “ That’s what can happen, can’t blame anyone for that, and 4th overall is a result that I would’ve been glad to accept even before the event started !”

30/01/06 - Gigi ready for Sweden

Incredible at Torntorp: Just by a tenth of a sec Gigi wins stage # 6 of the Swedish Rally.   That was the first scratch of his career a year ago in Sweden, and a lot has happened ever since. On his first almost full season in WRC he managed to win 6 more stages, gained 14 points, which allowed him to finish in 11th position in the overall standings. That result gave him lot of support from all over the world and convinced the Mitsubishi team to give him 1st driver status for 2006. Then the shocking announcement from Mitsubish to withdraw from WRC and the hard job to fight again in order to continue to compete at high level. Lots of contacts but at the moment only 2 events confirmed with the Lancer WRC, Montecarlo and Sweden. Only two chances for Gigi, with the first one ending due to a little mistake on 4th stage of the Monte, and a gearbox problem which didn’t allow him to restart on the Super Rally rule.  The Wolf “Gigi” thinks about what happened “ Too bad about that incident on 4th stage “ It did hurt him a lot but a week in Livigno together with his close friends gave him back his usual confidence. He’s ready to compete on the snowcovered stages of Värmland. Gigi stays cool about his target “ I can only promise that once again I will try my best to reward everyone who helped me to come back and compete in Sweden” He’s never forgotten last years scratch at Torntorp and never will, but he will try not to think about it “ My target now is to show some reliability. Therefore I must not take any risks so I better forget that scratch. But if Pirelli tyres are as good as last year...” Gigi doesn’t finish the line but his eyes speaks volumes...

16/01/06 - Rally Montecarlo 2006

"Finally we begin again" - Gigi is in a great mood. Before starting Monte Carlo for the fifth time, he admits that he was getting tired of sitting and relaxing at his home in Livigno. "I haven’t been in a rallycar since Australia, and that means I've had enough of holidays so far" explains Gigi. And not always with the ideal condition you need after an hard season but for Gigi wasn't a big deal. "Even though the news that Mitsubishi had withdrawn from the WRC also shocked me, I've had all the rest I needed. Also the fear of missing the first event of 2006 disappeared quite soon" added Gigi.  After 2 full seasons with the Rugby based team, returning to compete as a privateer forced him to take care of details that until last November didn't concern him. "It's not a problem, the most important thing is to continue with a competitive car" points out Gigi. The Lancer he will drive in Monte Carlo is very similar to the car he drove in Australia and that gives Gigi a huge confidence. "Unlike others, already last year we used the passive differential, so I won't have any problems adapting my driving style to the car. Someone who might have problems, could be my new co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini, who is sitting for the very first time in a WRC car. I really don't envy him, but I am sure he will be fine".  Any targets? Gigi prefers to keep them for himself. But he knows that he has to reward all those who gave him the opportunity to compete in the most famous rallying event in the world. "Starting from Isao Torii, Pirelli's Paul Hembery, Mario Fornaris, and RalliArt boss Mario Stagni, many did help me and I will try to give my best to thank them".