François Duval

François Duval (Chimay, Belgium, 18 November 1980) is a Belgian rally driver best known for his participation in the World Rally Championship (WRC) during the first decade of the 2000s. Regarded as one of the most promising Belgian motorsport talents of his generation, he stood out for his natural speed and aggressive driving style across all types of surfaces. Duval began his international career in the late 1990s and made the step up to the WRC in the early 2000s. In 2002 he competed in selected rounds with the official Ford team, going on to establish himself in 2003 and 2004 as a regular driver behind the wheel of the Ford Focus WRC. During that period he achieved several podium finishes and proved particularly competitive on tarmac rallies and in high-speed events. In 2005 he joined Citroën to drive the Xsara WRC, a season in which he claimed the greatest success of his career by winning the Rally Australia, becoming the first Belgian driver to win a round of the World Rally Championship. Following his time as a factory driver in the WRC, he continued to compete in various international events and national championships, particularly in Belgium, where he has been a regular fixture in the national series. Throughout his career he also took part in partial World Championship programmes and European championships, alternating between different teams and vehicles in the World Rally Car and R5 categories.