François Duval

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

François Duval
François Duval at the 2006 Rally of Turkey.
Personal information
Nationality Belgian
Born (1980-11-18) 18 November 1980
Ostend, Belgium
World Rally Championship record
Active years2000–2008, 2010
TeamsFord, Citroën, Škoda, Stobart
Rallies84
Championships0
Rally wins1
Podiums14
Stage wins55
Total points172
First rally2001 Rally Portugal
First win2005 Rally Australia
Last win2005 Rally Australia
Last rally2010 Rallye Deutschland
FIA World Rallycross Championship
Years active20142018
Former teamsEcurie Bayard ASBL
Marklund Motorsport
Albatec Racing
DA Racing
Comtoyou Racing
Starts6
Wins0
Podiums0
Best finish19th in 2016
Finished last season22nd
FIA European Rallycross Championship
Years active20092012, 20142015
Former teamsEcurie Bayard ASBL
Marklund Motorsport
Starts7
Wins1
Podiums1
Best finish12th in 2010 (Division 1)

Career

1999–2004

Duval in a Ford Puma at the 2001 Rally Finland

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.

Duval-Prevot 2004 Monte-Carlo

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 at the 2005 Cyprus Rally.

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 Citroen 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 Sven Smeets 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 MON SWE POR
Ret
CYP
Ret
AUS
19
0
Ford Puma S1600 ESP
Ret
ARG GRE
DSQ
KEN FIN
Ret
NZL ITA
18
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
2002 François Duval Ford Puma S1600 MON
17
ESP
25
GRE
Ret
KEN GER
Ret
ITA
20
NZL GBR
Ret
0
Ford Focus RS WRC 01 SWE
10
FRA
Ret
Ford Motor Co Ford Focus RS WRC 02 CYP
Ret
ARG FIN
Ret
AUS
Ret
2003 Ford Motor Co Ford Focus RS WRC 02 MON
7
SWE
Ret
TUR
3
9th 30
Ford Focus RS WRC 03 NZL
9
ARG
8
GRE
Ret
CYP
Ret
GER
7
FIN
Ret
AUS
10
ITA
5
FRA
3
ESP
4
GBR
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
GRE
4
TUR
5
ARG
3
FIN
7
GER
2
JPN
Ret
GBR
5
ITA
5
FRA
Ret
ESP
Ret
AUS
3
2005 Citroën Total Citroën Xsara WRC MON
Ret
SWE
12
MEX
Ret
NZL
4
ITA
11
CYP
Ret
TUR GRE ARG
7
FIN
8
GER
2
GBR
2
JPN
4
FRA
Ret
ESP
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 ESP
Ret
GRE
Ret
FIN
Ret
ITA
2
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
7th 6
2002 François Duval Ford Puma S1600 MON
1
ESP
6
GRE
Ret
GER
Ret
ITA
6
GBR
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
RUS
POR
CZE
ESP
ITA
SWI
CHI NC 0
2009 Francois Duval Skoda Fabia S2000 MON BRA KEN POR BEL
Ret
RUS POR CZE ESP ITA SCO NC 0
Abarth & Co. SpA Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000 MON BRA KEN POR BEL RUS POR 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
2009 François Duval Ford Focus GBR POR FRA HUN AUT SWE BEL
7
GER POL CZE 24th 10
2010 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

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