Panizzi to miss Neste Rally Finland.

Gilles Panizzi will miss this week's Rally Finland after the Peugeot driver broke his collarbone at his Monte Carlo home last week.

The Frenchman underwent surgery on Friday, but as yet it is unclear just how long he will be out of action.

Panizzi to miss Neste Rally Finland.

Gilles Panizzi will miss this week's Rally Finland after the Peugeot driver broke his collarbone at his Monte Carlo home last week.

The Frenchman underwent surgery on Friday, but as yet it is unclear just how long he will be out of action.

The team states:

"Gilles Panizzi underwent surgery at Monaco Hospital last Friday and will not be able to take part in this weekend's Rally of Finland."

"He can be relied upon to undertake a thorough re-education programme with a view to regaining full mobility of his injured shoulder to get back behind the wheel of his 206 WRC as quickly as possible."

Panizzi is currently lying fourth in the championship standings, 16 points behind team-mate and series leader Marcus Gronholm. But the French team's asphalt specialist will be hoping he'll be fit in time for Rallye Deutschland at the end of August, the season's penultimate tarmac round.

Panizzi's injury is a double blow for Peugeot, as Harri Rovanpera, one of the pre-Rally Finland favourites, lost his regular co-driver Risto Pietilainen last week. Pietilainen will be out for two months following surgery on a vascular aneurysm.

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