François Delecour
François Delecour ( born August 30, 1962 in Hazebrouck ) is a French rally driver.
- 2.1 WRC victories
- 2.2 WRC results
- 2.3 IRC results
Career
Beginning of his career as a private driver
François Delecour launched first time in 1981, a rally. In a Talbot Samba Rallye 1984 he competed for the first time the Monte Carlo Rally, thus giving his debut in the World Rally Championship. In the following years he took in private Peugeot 205 GTI Peugeot 309 GTI and again at the Monte Carlo Rally in part. He started regularly at this time in the French Rally Championship and reached the fourth place in 1989 in 1990 eventually Championship third place. In 1990, he also scored his first two World Cup points in the Rally Monte Carlo.
Ascent into the world leader in Ford
1991 Delecour factory driver was at Ford and came off this season in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4x4 to several inserts in the World Rally Championship. Already at the season opener in Monte Carlo, he reached his first podium with third place. Another third place followed in the course of the season, which he finished in seventh place in the drivers' standings. As of the 1992 season, the Frenchman Daniel Grataloup was his regular co-driver, with whom he subsequently for many years formed a team. In the drivers' championship after the 1992 season, he finished sixth.
For season 1993 Ford switched to the new Ford Escort RS Cosworth, so Delecour received a new work unit. The season became the most successful of his career. At a second place in Monte Carlo followed in the Rally of Portugal, his first victory and he then led the overall standings. Although Delecour won this year with the Corsica Rally and the Rally Catalunya two more rallies, but he had to admit defeat in the battle for the World Cup the Finn Juha Kankkunen. Favorites for the title Delecour started the season in 1994. Start of the season he won for the first time the Monte Carlo Rally. Also at the Rally Portugal, he was up to his retirement the fastest pilot. However, he was later involved in a traffic accident a few weeks. As a result, he had to pause half the season, so he lost his chance at the title. For the third last rally, he made his comeback and eventually occupied still eighth in the drivers' standings.
After his serious accident Delecour could not quite match the success of the last two years. The 1995 season, he finished with two second places as the best results on the fourth championship course. He also benefited from the disqualification of two drivers who had collected more points.
Factory driver at Peugeot
After the 1995 season left Delecour Ford and Peugeot took place in 1996 at a new employer. With the Peugeot 306 Maxi, he was now mainly back in the French Rally Championship go. In the years 1996 and 1997 where he won a total of three rallies and finished the championship in third place from each. However, Peugeot entered the World Rally Championship only to individual CVs, so Delecour could not fight for top places in the overall standings. In this section of his career, he scored its best result in the World Cup second place in the Rally of Corsica 1998.
The Monte Carlo Rally denied Delecour 1999 initially with a privately entered Ford Escort WRC, and finished this fourth. Peugeot brought to Corsica Rally for the first time the new Peugeot 206 WRC at the start, with the Delecour graduated from the rest of the season. For Delecour it has since gradually more difficult to compete with its strong team -mate Gilles Panizzi and Marcus Grönholm. In the 2000 season he was standing in the shade. Although Delecour reached at four rallies the podium victories were prevented by technical defects and a team order. While Gronholm won the World Cup, remained for Delecour only sixth place left. Due to disagreements with Panizzi and the team management, in his view, favored him, he left Peugeot after the season.
Return to Ford and unsuccessful End of career
For the 2001 season Delecour returned to Ford, whose work assignments have now been made by the team M-Sport. Delecour now drove a Ford Focus WRC, which was provided as the vehicles of his teammates with a different paint job. The season began with a third place at the Rallye Monte Carlo. This success remained his only podium finish of the season, but he scored points continue regularly. At the end of the season he finished ninth in the drivers' standings.
After only one year at Ford Delecour moved in 2002 to Mitsubishi. Their new Mitsubishi Lancer WRC, however, was not competitive and allowed Delecour not result in the points. In an accident at the penultimate race of the season in Australia, his co-driver Daniel Grataloup injured so badly that he could not participate in the UK at the season finale. The Rally of Great Britain therefore denied Dominique Savignoni on Delecours passenger seat. After the 2002 season, he finished his career in international rallying provisional.
In the following years he participated only in individual smaller rallies. So he drove at 2007 with a Porsche 996 GT3 RS in the French Rally Championship.
International comeback in the 2011 IRC
The end of 2010 Delecour announced at the age of 48 years to his comeback to the Rallye Monte Carlo in 2011, which was held at this time in the context of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. He drove a Peugeot 207 S2000 and his passenger was back Dominique Savignoni, with whom he had graduated in 2002, the Rally of Great Britain. Delecour could immediately match the pace of his competitors. Thanks to proper tire selection, he won a snowy special stage and was temporarily on the second place overall. The rally, he finished in fifth place. He then announced to want to participate in further rounds of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.