Fast facts:
Nationality:Italian
Date of birth:13/01/1973
Team:Stobart VK M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
Co-driver:Giovanni Bernacchini
World Titles:None
WRC debut:Italy 1998
WRC wins:0
WRC points at end of 2007:39
First WRC win:n/a
Website:www.gigigalli.com
Career highlights:
2007: Three round WRC campaign in privately entered Citroen Xsara, best finish 7th overall on Wales Rally GB
2006: Six round WRC campaign in privately entered Mitsubishi Lancer (2 rounds) and Peugeot 307 WRC (4 rounds). Career best third place overall on Rally Argentina.
2005: Full WRC season with Mitsubishi
2000: Italian Rally Champion
1998: Italian Rally Champion
1996: 1996: Winner, Fiat 500 trophy
Career summary:
Born in Livigno in 1973 Galli inherited a passion for cars from his father who ran the family garage business. Time spent in the workshop gave Galli a good grounding in mechanical engineering, and his first taste of club-level competition was in a car he built himself in spare evenings after work. Never one to opt for the easy route, Galli's debut was made on a snow rally with his own unique creation - a four-wheel-drive, four-wheel-steer, Toyota-engined Fiat Uno.
His first proper rally came a year later in 1994, on the Rally of Valtellina. By now in a more conventional car, a Peugeot 309, he finished third in class. From then until 2004 Galli honed his skills through drives in one-make-series, the Italian Rally Championship, the European Rally Championship, the Junior World Rally Championship and selected WRC events as well. But he didn't have it easy. And despite occasional flashes of brilliance, Galli's flamboyant driving style, mechanical problems or sheer bad luck always seemed to let him down.
Galli got a big break in 2004 when he was offered a part-programme in the Mitsubishi World Rally Team. He contested four rallies in a Lancer WRC, netting a fine seventh place in Spain, plus eight rallies in a Group N Lancer, which he took to class wins in Finland and Italy. A full WRC programme with Mitsubishi followed in 2005, during which he recorded seven top-ten finishes, and a best result of fifth overall in Germany. But just when it looked like Galli was on the up, Mitsubishi withdrew from the sport and Galli was out in the cold once again.
For 2006 Galli persuaded his sponsors and Ralliart Italy to run a Lancer WRC car for him on Monte Carlo and Swedish rallies, and the fourth place he scored in Sweden convinced Pirelli to give him a Kronos run Peugeot 307 for four more rounds - including Argentina when he scored a career best third. But for 2007 Galli was only able to contest three rounds, this time in a Citroen Xsara WRC with Italian privateer outfit Aimont Racing. His best result was sixth on the rally of Norway.
But just when it looked like the dream might be over for Galli, for 2008 he is back. And this time with the highly competitive Focus RS 06WRC and the support of one of the most exciting teams in the WRC. Expect him to pull out all the stops in 2008.
Date of birth:13/01/1973
Team:Stobart VK M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
Co-driver:Giovanni Bernacchini
World Titles:None
WRC debut:Italy 1998
WRC wins:0
WRC points at end of 2007:39
First WRC win:n/a
Website:www.gigigalli.com
Career highlights:
2007: Three round WRC campaign in privately entered Citroen Xsara, best finish 7th overall on Wales Rally GB
2006: Six round WRC campaign in privately entered Mitsubishi Lancer (2 rounds) and Peugeot 307 WRC (4 rounds). Career best third place overall on Rally Argentina.
2005: Full WRC season with Mitsubishi
2000: Italian Rally Champion
1998: Italian Rally Champion
1996: 1996: Winner, Fiat 500 trophy
Career summary:
Born in Livigno in 1973 Galli inherited a passion for cars from his father who ran the family garage business. Time spent in the workshop gave Galli a good grounding in mechanical engineering, and his first taste of club-level competition was in a car he built himself in spare evenings after work. Never one to opt for the easy route, Galli's debut was made on a snow rally with his own unique creation - a four-wheel-drive, four-wheel-steer, Toyota-engined Fiat Uno.
His first proper rally came a year later in 1994, on the Rally of Valtellina. By now in a more conventional car, a Peugeot 309, he finished third in class. From then until 2004 Galli honed his skills through drives in one-make-series, the Italian Rally Championship, the European Rally Championship, the Junior World Rally Championship and selected WRC events as well. But he didn't have it easy. And despite occasional flashes of brilliance, Galli's flamboyant driving style, mechanical problems or sheer bad luck always seemed to let him down.
Galli got a big break in 2004 when he was offered a part-programme in the Mitsubishi World Rally Team. He contested four rallies in a Lancer WRC, netting a fine seventh place in Spain, plus eight rallies in a Group N Lancer, which he took to class wins in Finland and Italy. A full WRC programme with Mitsubishi followed in 2005, during which he recorded seven top-ten finishes, and a best result of fifth overall in Germany. But just when it looked like Galli was on the up, Mitsubishi withdrew from the sport and Galli was out in the cold once again.
For 2006 Galli persuaded his sponsors and Ralliart Italy to run a Lancer WRC car for him on Monte Carlo and Swedish rallies, and the fourth place he scored in Sweden convinced Pirelli to give him a Kronos run Peugeot 307 for four more rounds - including Argentina when he scored a career best third. But for 2007 Galli was only able to contest three rounds, this time in a Citroen Xsara WRC with Italian privateer outfit Aimont Racing. His best result was sixth on the rally of Norway.
But just when it looked like the dream might be over for Galli, for 2008 he is back. And this time with the highly competitive Focus RS 06WRC and the support of one of the most exciting teams in the WRC. Expect him to pull out all the stops in 2008.
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