Charismatic former Peugeot boss passes away

Provera, an Italian, was the man behind getting the famous French brand back into the World Rally Championship in the late 1990s and enjoyed huge success with the team up until his retirement in 2005.

As Peugeot team boss, he oversaw five World Rally Championship titles and 24 rally wins.

“It is with great regret that we learn of the passing of Corrado Provera,” a Peugeot statement said.

“His years at the head of Peugeot Sport were marked by his charisma and energy. We send our sincere condolences to his family and all those who knew him.”

The most successful driver for Peugeot during that time, Marcus Gronholm, explained a man dedicated to the cause.

“He and I were quite similar. We could go from 0-110 in milliseconds. I was very hot sometimes when the car was not working and he was very hot behind his table! But he was always somebody who wanted to keep everybody happy,” Gronholm told DirtFish.

“I really wanted to give him a nice present for the retirement. I wanted to give him the win, but I made a stupid mistake and went off in the last stages. This was a shame, it would have been nice for him to have taken this win.

“I have good memories for him. He was the boss who became my friend.”

Provera passed away aged 82.