François Duval

François Duval

François Duval at the 2006 Rally of Turkey.
Personal information
Nationality	Belgian
Born	(1980-11-18) 18 November 1980 (age 40) Ostend, Belgium
World Rally Championship record
Active years	2000–2008, 2010
Teams	Ford, Citroën, Škoda, Stobart
Rallies	84
Championships	0
Rally wins	1
Podiums	14
Stage wins	55
Total points	172
First rally	2001 Rally Portugal
First win	2005 Rally Australia
Last win	2005 Rally Australia
Last rally	2010 Rallye Deutschland
FIA World Rallycross Championship
Years active	2014–2018
Former teams	Ecurie Bayard ASBL Marklund Motorsport Albatec Racing DA Racing Comtoyou Racing
Starts	6
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Best finish	19th in 2016
Finished last season	22nd
FIA European Rallycross Championship
Years active	–2012, 2014–2015
Former teams	Ecurie Bayard ASBL Marklund Motorsport
Starts	7
Wins	1
Podiums	1
Best finish	12th in (Division 1)

François Duval (born 18 November 1980) is a Belgian rally driver.

Career[]

1999–2004[]

Francois Duval is the son of former rally driver Rene Duval. ^[1] With victories in four events Duval won the Belgian Citroën Saxo Challenge title in 1999. He began his career as a rally driver at the international level; first, as a driver in the inaugural season of the lower-rung Super 1600 category of the World Rally Championship and later competed in the Junior World Rally Championship aboard a Ford Puma in 2001, the same year in which Saxo driver and future Citroën teammate Sébastien Loeb won the title. Beginning with the 2002 season, he progressed to become a regular driver of a Ford Focus RS WRC with the factory M-Sport-ran Ford World Rally Team. Concurrent with his World Rally Car exploits, he added a second campaign with the Puma in the junior series, taking a category win on the Monte Carlo Rally.

For the 2003 season, Duval found himself promoted to the role of regular Ford points-scorer in the manufacturers' championship, alongside Estonian youngster Markko Märtin after the double departure from the team of both Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz. He made a points-scoring debut on that year's Monte Carlo Rally, and as predicted by team boss Malcolm Wilson, collected his first world rally podium in Turkey later in the year. He retained his role alongside Märtin heading into the 2004 season, backing up the Estonian de facto team leader in a 1–2 early season surprise win on the first world series running of the Rally Mexico. However, amidst increasing uncertainty as to Ford's participation in future championship seasons, both he and Martin were released from their contracts at the end of the season.

2005–2008[]

Duval moved to reigning world champion manufacturers Citroën for the 2005 and a chance to partner recently crowned World Champion Sébastien Loeb and to drive the Xsara WRC. Unfortunately for Duval, this new partnership arrangement got off to an inauspicious start. A series of costly shunts, including on his Citroën debut from second place in Monte Carlo, led to an enforced two-rally leave from the cockpit for the Turkey and Acropolis rallies. Ironically Duval was replaced by the Belgian's idol, double world champion and immediate Citroën predecessor, Carlos Sainz.^[2] By late 2005, however, the Belgian appeared to be recovering his verve. After an initially tentative return, he was to storm to second place on the Rally Deutschland barred from victory only by the all-conquering Loeb. He added a fine second-place finish on the Wales Rally GB, somewhat ill-starred by the fatal accident that befell erstwhile Ford teammate Markko Martin's navigator, Michael Park. Then, at the 2005 Telstra Rally Australia, on the backdrop of the exits of podium challengers Loeb, Petter Solberg, Marcus Grönholm and one-off Škoda entrant Colin McRae over the course of the three legs of the event, Duval won his first World Rally Championship event, ahead of Harri Rovanperä and Manfred Stohl.

The immediate forecast for the Belgian's future remained clouded, however, with Citroën taking a one-year formal sabbatical from the series.^[3] Although 2005 teammate and now two-time champion Sébastien Loeb could revel in the luxury of a contract with the privateer Kronos outfit for all of the 2006 season's world rallies, as well as a testing package within the rejuvenated factory-backed Citroën C4 WRC,^[4] Duval proved unable to maintain a link to either organisation. Sporadic stints in a privately run Škoda Fabia WRC formed the platform of his eventual world championship campaign, with a best finish of sixth on the Rally Catalunya in Spain. Only two other top ten finishes were achieved all year, namely on the Italian and Turkish rounds, notwithstanding a late-season triumph in the same apparatus on his native non-world championship Condroz Rally in November.

Despite outstanding funding woes forcing him to abort a proposed campaign with the Fabia for the 2007 season, Duval's continued presence in the world series was ensured with a deal to drive a Kronos run Citroën Xsara WRC later in the season. He subsequently finished a close second to the Citroën C4-mounted defending title-holder, Loeb on the 2007 Rallye Deutschland that August. The result marked his first podium since his one and, thus far only, World Rally victory.

In the 2008 season opener, 2008 Monte Carlo Rally, Duval competed in a Ford Focus RS WRC 07 for Stobart VK M-Sport Ford. After a tight battle for third place with Subaru's Chris Atkinson, Duval finished fourth only 1.1 seconds behind Atkinson. He returned to Stobart Ford for the next tarmac rally, the 2008 Rallye Deutschland, and beat Ford factory team driver Mikko Hirvonen in the battle for the third place. After Stobart's Gigi Galli was injured in a crash at the event, Duval was signed by Ford as Galli's replacement also for the gravel events. For tarmac events, Ford promoted Duval to the factory team. In New Zealand, he crashed out from fifth place during the penultimate stage, but went on to continue his strong performances on tarmac, finishing fourth at the Rally Catalunya and third at the Tour de Corse.

During the 2008 season, Duval was performing on the Japanese circuit. On stage 6 of the first day, he went off the road and crashed into a concrete barrier, seriously injuring his co-pilot, Patrick Pivato. Pivato suffered both a fractured pelvis and a fractured leg as a result of the accident.^[5][6][7][8]

Duval announced his retirement from contemporary rallying, in March 2010.^[9] However, he changed his mind to compete in Rally Deutschland the same year in a Stobart Ford. He crashed during SS14 Arena Panzerplatte 2 and retired from 5th position.^[10]

In 2015 Duval was sentenced to 4 months in prison for his involvement in a car insurance fraud scheme. ^{[11] [12] [13]}

WRC victories[]

#	Event	Season	Co-driver	Car
1	18th Telstra Rally Australia	2005		Citroën Xsara WRC

Racing record[]

Complete WRC results[]

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	WDC	Points
2001	François Duval	Mitsubishi Carisma GT			Ret			Ret							19				–	0
		Ford Puma S1600				Ret			DSQ		Ret	NZL	18	Ret		Ret
2002	François Duval	Ford Puma S1600	17			25			GRE Ret			Ret	20	NZL		Ret			–	0
		Ford Focus RS WRC 01		10	Ret
	Ford Motor Co	Ford Focus RS WRC 02					Ret				Ret				Ret
2003	Ford Motor Co	Ford Focus RS WRC 02	MON 7	Ret	3														9th	30
		Ford Focus RS WRC 03				NZL 9	8	Ret	Ret	7	Ret	10	5	3	4	5
2004	Ford Motor Co	Ford Focus RS WRC 03	MON 3	SWE Ret	MEX 2														6th	53
		Ford Focus RS WRC 04				NZL 18	CYP Ret	4	TUR 5	ARG 3	FIN 7	2	Ret	GBR 5	5	Ret	Ret	AUS 3
2005	Citroën Total	Citroën Xsara WRC	MON Ret	SWE 12	MEX Ret	NZL 4	ITA 11	CYP Ret	TUR		7	FIN 8	2	GBR 2	JPN 4	FRA Ret	2	AUS 1	6th	47
2006	First Motorsport	Škoda Fabia WRC	MON Ret	SWE	MEX	ESP 6	FRA Ret	ARG	ITA 8	GRE 13	GER Ret	FIN	JPN	CYP	TUR 9	AUS	NZL	GBR 8	19th	5
2007	First Motorsport	Škoda Fabia WRC	MON	SWE	NOR	MEX	POR	ARG	ITA	GRE Ret	FIN								10th	12
	OMV Kronos Citroën WRT	Citroën Xsara WRC										GER 2	NZL	ESP 5	FRA Ret	JPN	IRE	GBR
2008	Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team	Ford Focus RS WRC 07	MON 4	SWE	MEX	ARG	JOR	ITA	GRE	TUR	FIN	GER 3	NZL Ret			JPN Ret	GBR 6		7th	25
	BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team	Ford Focus RS WRC 08												ESP 4	FRA 3
2010	Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team	Ford Focus RS WRC 08	SWE	MEX	JOR	TUR	NZL	POR	BUL	FIN	GER Ret	JPN	FRA	ESP	GBR				NC	0

Complete JWRC results[]

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	JWRC	Points
2001	François Duval	Ford Puma S1600	Ret	Ret	Ret	2	Ret	Ret	7th	6
2002	François Duval	Ford Puma S1600	1	6	GRE Ret	Ret	6	Ret	6th	12

Complete Intercontinental Rally Challenge results[]

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	IRC	Points
2008	Francois Duval	Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000	TUR	POR Ret	BEL			CZE	ESP	ITA	SWI	CHI		NC	0
2009	Francois Duval	Skoda Fabia S2000	MON		KEN	POR	BEL Ret			CZE	ESP	ITA	SCO	NC	0
	Abarth & Co. SpA	Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000	MON		KEN	POR	BEL			CZE	ESP	ITA Ret	SCO

Complete FIA European Rallycross Championship results[]

(key)

Division 1[]

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	ERX	Points
	François Duval	Ford Focus	GBR	POR	FRA	HUN	AUT	SWE	BEL 7	GER	POL	CZE	24th	10
	François Duval	Ford Focus	POR	FRA	GBR 4	HUN	SWE	FIN	BEL 1	GER	POL	CZE	12th	33

Supercar[]

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	ERX	Points
2011	François Duval	Peugeot 207	GBR	POR	FRA	NOR	SWE	BEL 15	NED	AUT	POL	CZE	36th	2
2012	François Duval	Peugeot 207	GBR	FRA	AUT	HUN	NOR	SWE	BEL 12	NED	FIN	GER	42nd	5
2014	Marklund Motorsport	Volkswagen Polo	GBR	NOR	BEL 8	GER	ITA						24th	9
2015	Ecurie Bayard ASBL	Ford Focus	BEL 6	GER	NOR	BAR	ITA						17th	21

Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results[]

(key)

Supercar[]

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	WRX	Points
2014	Marklund Motorsport	Volkswagen Polo	POR	GBR	NOR	FIN	SWE	BEL 16	CAN	FRA	GER	ITA	TUR	ARG		55th	1
2015	Ecurie Bayard ASBL	Peugeot 208	POR	HOC	BEL	GBR	GER	SWE	CAN	NOR	FRA 31	BAR	TUR	ITA	ARG	NC	0
2016	Ecurie Bayard ASBL	Ford Fiesta	POR	HOC	BEL 5	GBR	NOR	SWE	CAN	FRA	BAR	LAT	GER	ARG		19th	18
2017	Albatec Racing	Peugeot 208	BAR	POR	HOC	BEL 15	GBR	NOR	SWE	CAN	FRA					22nd	2
	DA Racing	Peugeot 208										LAT 20	GER	RSA
2018	Comtoyou Racing	Audi S1	BAR	POR	BEL 13	GBR	NOR	SWE	CAN	FRA	LAT	USA	GER	RSA		21st	4

^* Season still in progress.

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to François Duval.

• François Duval official website
• Profile at ewrc-results.com