Loïc Duval has celebrated many major successes in motorsport. They include winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2013 plus the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) the same year. Even so, the Frenchman was faced with a new beginning in the 2017 DTM season.

Besides René Rast, Duval was the only newcomer in the field of 18 entrants in the 2017 DTM season. “In spite of my experience in motorsport, I was practically a rookie again,” says the Frenchman. “I knew that the DTM is not an easy series. Even so, my first season was tougher than expected. There were some highlights like my first DTM podium at Zandvoort, but on the whole it was a difficult season in which I learned a lot. “I think we’re going to see even more from Loïc,” says a confident Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass who, following the brand’s departure from prototype racing at the end of 2016, asked Duval to join the Audi DTM squad.

The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with Le Mans as its pinnacle event of the season was Loïc Duval’s professional home for five years. “2013 with victory at Le Mans and the WEC title win together with Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen was a brilliant season,” says the Frenchman. Only a year later, he made headlines with a serious accident at Le Mans – a story that has some things in common with that of his current DTM teammate Mike Rockenfeller. Just like “Rocky,” Duval returned to the cockpit after a brief recovery break. In 2016, in the two last Audi triumphs in the WEC, he was sitting in the victorious Audi R18.

“I’m very happy about forming a team in the DTM with Mike,” says Duval. “We’ve always gotten along really well. Mike is a good, open type of guy and knows what matters in the DTM. I benefit from his experience.”

The DTM scene, though, was not totally new to Duval. In 2004 and 2005, he contested the Formula 3 Euro Series as part of the supporting program. On that occasion, he watched the DTM races with suspense and also got to know most of the race tracks on which the DTM is held.

Following his Formula 3 days, Duval moved to Japan for nearly a decade where in parallel to single-seater racing he was active in the Super GT Championship which he won in 2010. “There I drove similar cars as in the DTM which is another reason why I immediately felt comfortable in the Audi RS 5 DTM in my first test.”

That the DTM and the Super GT are now cooperating and jointly working on a common future particularly pleases Duval. “Both are strong series, this cooperation can only be positive. The cars from Japan with demo laps in the DTM finale at Hockenheim caused quite a stir last year and we received an enthusiastic welcome at the Super-GT finale at Motegi as well.”

In parallel to the DTM, Duval is returning this year in the LMP 2 category to the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24-hour race at Le Mans. The latter is his great passion – not surprisingly since he was born in Chartres, 130 kilometers northeast of Le Mans.

For a long time, the Frenchman lived in Tokyo in Japan. Now the Audi factory driver with his wife, Gaëlle, and their two sons, Hugo and Martin, lives in Nyon on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Parked in the family’s garage is an Audi SQ7 TDI. “A perfect family car,” says an enthusiastic Duval who this year will also act as commentator for several Formula 1 races for the French TV channel Canal+.

In addition to motor racing, soccer is one of the Frenchman’s passions. Be it during official PR commitments, matches of celebrity teams or in personal surroundings – Duval is an avid soccer player and has been a supporter of Audi’s partner FC Bayern München since his childhood days. “I love tennis too. I’m generally a great fans of sports and watch many sporting events on television. In early 2017, I had the opportunity to watch the Hahnenkamm ski race as a spectator in Kitzbühel. That was a fantastic experience as well.”

Duval stays fit primarily by cycling and swimming. He rides hoverboards and trains with a personal fitness coach. For his second DTM season, he has selected a new number for his car: “28 is the number of the French ‘département’ where I was born. It has accompanied me my whole life.”

Loïc Duval’s new race engineer is Gabriele Delli Colli, the former engineer of Rubens Barrichello at Ferrari in Formula 1. Currently, Colli is chief test engineer in Audi’s DTM program.

Profile

Loïc Duval (F)

Date of birth: 12. Juni 1982
Place of birth: Chartres (F)
Residence: Nyon (CH)
Marital status: married to Gaëlle, two sons (Hugo and Martin)
Height/weight: 1.78 m/70 kg
Motorsport since: 1992 (Audi driver since 2012)

Sporting career

1992–2001 Kart
2000 1st Trophée Laborde, 3rd Karting World Championship Formula A
2002 1st Formula Campus France
2003 1st Formula Renault France
2004 11th Formula 3 Euro Series, member of Renault Driver Development
2005 6th Formula 3 Euro Series, member of Renault Driver Development
2006 4th Formula Nippon, 11th Super GT Japan, Rookie Driver A1 Team France
2007 2nd Super GT Japan, 4th A1 GP with A1 Team France, 6th Formula Nippon
2008 2nd Formula Nippon, 4th A1 GP with A1 Team France, 1st Rookie Classification Le Mans (Prix Jean Rondeau)
2009 1st Formula Nippon, 3rd Team Classification Asian Le Mans Series, 5th A1 GP with A1 Team France
2010 1st Super GT Japan, 3rd Formula Nippon
2011 1st Sebring 12 Hours, 3rd Super GT Japan
2012 1st Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours (Audi R18 ultra), 6th Formula Nippon
2013 1st Le Mans 24 Hours, 1st FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), 3 victories (each in Audi R18 e-tron quattro), 3rd Superformula
2014 7th FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) (Audi R18 e-tron quattro), Superformula
2015 4th FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) (Audi R18 e-tron quattro), 9th FIA Formula E
2016 2nd FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), 2 victories, 3rd Le Mans 24 Hours (each in Audi R18), 8th FIA Formula E
2017 18th DTM (Audi RS 5 DTM), 15th FIA Formula E
2018 17th DTM (Audi RS 5 DTM), 3rd Daytona 24 Hours

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