François Duval

François Jean-Claude Ghislain Duval (born 18 November 1980) is a Belgian rally driver.

Career

1999–2004

Duval is the son of former rally driver Rene Duval. 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 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. By late 2005, however, the Belgian appeared to be recovering his verve. After an initially tentative return, he was to storm to second place in 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. 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, 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 in 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, the 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.

Duval announced his retirement from contemporary rallying, in March 2010. 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 fifth position.

In 2015, Duval was sentenced to four months in prison for his involvement in a car insurance fraud scheme.

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 PORRet CYPRet AUS19 – 0 Ford Puma S1600 ESPRet ARG GREDSQ KEN FINRet NZL ITA18 FRARet GBRRet 2002 François Duval Ford Puma S1600 MON17 ESP25 GRERet KEN GERRet ITA20 NZL GBRRet – 0 Ford Focus RS WRC 01 SWE10 FRARet Ford Motor Co Ford Focus RS WRC 02 CYPRet ARG FINRet AUSRet 2003 Castrol Ford Rally Team Ford Focus RS WRC 02 MON7 SWERet TUR3 9th 30 Ford Focus RS WRC 03 NZL9 ARG8 GRERet CYPRet GER7 FINRet AUS10 ITA5 FRA3 ESP4 GBR5 2004 BP Castrol Ford Rally Team Ford Focus RS WRC 03 MON3 SWERet MEX2 6th 53 Ford Focus RS WRC 04 NZL18 CYPRet GRE4 TUR5 ARG3 FIN7 GER2 JPNRet GBR5 ITA5 FRARet ESPRet AUS3 2005 Citroën Sport Total Citroën Xsara WRC MONRet SWE12 MEXRet NZL4 ITA11 CYPRet TUR GRE ARG7 FIN8 GER2 GBR2 JPN4 FRARet ESP2 AUS1 6th 47 2006 First Motorsport Škoda Fabia WRC MONRet SWE MEX ESP6 FRARet ARG ITA8 GRE13 GERRet FIN JPN CYP TUR9 AUS NZL GBR8 19th 5 2007 First Motorsport Škoda Fabia WRC MON SWE NOR MEX POR ARG ITA GRERet FIN 10th 12 OMV Kronos Citroën WRT Citroën Xsara WRC GER2 NZL ESP5 FRARet JPN IRE GBR 2008 Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team Ford Focus RS WRC 07 MON4 SWE MEX ARG JOR ITA GRE TUR FIN GER3 NZLRet JPNRet GBR6 7th 25 BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team Ford Focus RS WRC 08 ESP4 FRA3 2010 Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team Ford Focus RS WRC 08 SWE MEX JOR TUR NZL POR BUL FIN GERRet 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 ESPRet GRERet FINRet ITA2 FRARet GBRRet 7th 6 2002 François Duval Ford Puma S1600 MON1 ESP6 GRERet GERRet ITA6 GBRRet 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 PORRet BEL RUS POR CZE ESP ITA SWI CHI NC 0 2009 Francois Duval Skoda Fabia S2000 MON BRA KEN POR BELRet 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 ITARet 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 BEL7 GER POL CZE 24th 10 2010 François Duval Ford Focus POR FRA GBR4 HUN SWE FIN BEL1 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 BEL15 NED AUT POL CZE 36th 2 2012 François Duval Peugeot 207 GBR FRA AUT HUN NOR SWE BEL12 NED FIN GER 42nd 5 2014 Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo GBR NOR BEL8GERITA 24th 9 2015 Ecurie Bayard ASBL Ford Focus BEL6 GER NOR BAR ITA 17th 21

Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results (key)

Supercar