Didier Auriol

Didier Auriol (born 18 August 1958) is a French former rally driver.

Didier Auriol
Personal information
Nationality French
Born (1958-08-18) 18 August 1958
World Rally Championship record
Active years1984–2003, 2005
Co-driver Denis Giraudet
Bernard Occelli
TeamsAustin Rover, Ford, Lancia, Toyota, Subaru, Mitsubishi, SEAT, Peugeot, Škoda
Rallies152
Championships1 (1994)
Rally wins20
Podiums53
Stage wins554
Total points747
First rally1984 Tour de Corse
First win1988 Tour de Corse
Last win2001 Rally Catalunya
Last rally2005 Monte Carlo Rally

Born in Montpellier, and initially an ambulance driver, Auriol made his name as a French rally driver in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1990s. He became World Rally Champion in 1994, the first from his country to do so. He was a factory candidate for Lancia, Toyota and Peugeot among others, before losing his seat at Škoda at the end of 2003.

Career

At the age of 21, Auriol started rallying in an old Simca 1000. He drove the Simca 2 Years, then he got a Renault 5 Turbo, With this car, he drove in the French Rallye Championship. In 1986 he competed in a Metro 6R4. With this car, he won his first French Rallye Championship. He contested it again the following year, the first of the Group A years, in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth and with his car he was French Rallye Champion 1987 and 1988.

Auriol won his first World Championship event, the 1988 Tour de Corse, whilst driving a works Ford Sierra RS Cosworth. It was the only time that season when Lancia were beaten in a straight fight, and the Lancia team duly signed him for the following year. He remained with the team for four seasons, driving three successive versions of the then-dominant Lancia Delta Integrale. In 1992, driving the final evolution of the car, he won six events in one season (a record until beaten by Sébastien Loeb in 2005), but poor results on other rounds and retirement on the last event of the season, the RAC Rally, handed the world championship to Carlos Sainz.

Auriol's Toyota Corolla WRC on display.

In 1993 Auriol switched to Toyota, and won his first event for the team, the Monte Carlo Rally. He did not win again that season, but the following year he won the Corsica, Argentina and San Remo rallies and went into the final round, in Great Britain, vying again with Sainz for the championship. Despite a poor showing on the rally he emerged as World Champion after the Spanish driver went off the road on the final day. In 1995, he took the first win for the Celica GT-Four ST205 in Tour de Corse. However, later in the same season, on the Rally Catalunya, Toyota were found to have used an illegal device in the turbocharger to increase the power of the engine, and were excluded from the results of the 1995 championship and banned for next year. 1996 Auriol contested only two World Championship events. He drove for Subaru in Sweden and for Mitsubishi in San Remo. 1997 he entered in Monte Carlo with private Ford, and drove couple of rallies with Toyota's new Corolla WRC. Auriol drove for Toyota two next years, gaining two wins. When Toyota retired from World Rally Championship after 1999, Auriol moved to SEAT, driving the SEAT Córdoba WRC E2. Using Auriol's experience, SEAT managed to grab the third podium place at the Safari Rally in Kenya, and later that season to launch their third evolution of the Córdoba WRC. However at the end of the season the Spanish manufacturer retired from WRC to focus on the development of a special series of high performance cars. Auriol landed a drive with Peugeot for the 2001 season, but he had a largely difficult season; only on asphalt-rallies was Auriol able to be quicker than his teammate, Marcus Grönholm. Auriol's only win that year came in Spain. 2002 was a kind of gap year for Auriol, and for 2003, Auriol signed for Skoda, and played a notable part in the development work of the Škoda Fabia WRC.

Another notable achievement in Auriol's repertoire is being a six-time winner of the Tour de Corse, level record holder with Bernard Darniche. Even as late as 2001 Auriol was still racking up podiums there.

WRC victories

Auriol's Toyota Celica GT-Four 1995 Tour de Corse winning car.
Auriol with a Peugeot 206 WRC at the 2001 Rally Finland.
Number Event Season Co-driver Car
1 32ème Tour de Corse – Rallye de France 1988 Bernard Occelli Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
2 33ème Tour de Corse – Rallye de France 1989 Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta Integrale
3 58ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 1990 Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta Integrale 16V
4 34ème Tour de Corse – Rallye de France 1990 Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta Integrale 16V
5 32º Rallye Sanremo – Rallye d'Italia 1990 Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta Integrale 16V
6 33º Rallye Sanremo – Rallye d'Italia 1991 Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta Integrale 16V
7 60ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 1992 Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta HF Integrale
8 36ème Tour de Corse – Rallye de France 1992 Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta HF Integrale
9 39th Acropolis Rally 1992 Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta HF Integrale
10 12º Rally Argentina 1992 Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta HF Integrale
11 42nd 1000 Lakes Rally 1992 Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta HF Integrale
12 5th Telecom Rally Australia 1992 Bernard Occelli Lancia Delta HF Integrale
13 61ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 1993 Bernard Occelli Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD
14 38ème Tour de Corse – Rallye de France 1994 Bernard Occelli Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD
15 14º Rally Argentina 1994 Bernard Occelli Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD
16 36º Rallye Sanremo – Rallye d'Italia 1994 Bernard Occelli Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD
17 39ème Tour de Corse – Rallye de France 1995 Denis Giraudet Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205
18 34º Rallye Catalunya-Costa Brava (Rallye de España) 1998 Denis Giraudet Toyota Corolla WRC
19 3rd China Rally 1999 Denis Giraudet Toyota Corolla WRC
20 37º Rallye Catalunya-Costa Brava (Rallye de España) 2001 Denis Giraudet Peugeot 206 WRC

WRC results

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 WDC Points
1984 Didier Auriol Renault 5 Turbo MON SWE POR KEN FRA
Ret
GRC ARG BRA FIN ITA CIV GBR 0
1985 Didier Auriol Renault 5 Maxi Turbo MON SWE POR KEN FRA
Ret
GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA CIV GBR 0
1986 Austin Rover World Championship Team MG Metro 6R4 MON SWE POR KEN FRA
Ret
GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA GBR USA 0
1987 Ford France Ford Sierra RS Cosworth MON SWE POR KEN FRA
8
GRC USA NZL ARG FIN CIV ITA
4
GBR 22nd 13
1988 Ford France Ford Sierra RS Cosworth MON SWE POR
Ret
KEN 7th 32
Ford Motor Co FRA
1
GRC USA NZL ARG FIN
3
CIV ITA
Ret
GBR
1989 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta Integrale SWE MON
2
POR
Ret
KEN FRA
1
GRC
2
NZL ARG FIN
Ret
AUS 5th 50
Lancia Delta Integrale 16v ITA
Ret
CIV GBR
1990 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta Integrale 16v MON
1
POR
2
KEN FRA
1
GRC
Ret
NZL ARG
3
FIN
Ret
AUS
Ret
ITA
1
CIV GBR
5
2nd 95
1991 Jolly Club Lancia Delta Integrale 16v MON
Ret
SWE
9
POR
2
KEN FRA
2
GRC
4
NZL
3
ARG
3
FIN
2
AUS
Ret
ITA
1
CIV ESP GBR
12
3rd 101
1992 Martini Racing Lancia Delta HF Integrale MON
1
SWE POR
Ret
KEN FRA
1
GRC
1
NZL ARG
1
FIN
1
AUS
1
ITA
Ret
CIV ESP
10
GBR
Ret
3rd 121
1993 Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD MON
1
SWE
Ret
POR KEN FRA
2
GRC
Ret
ARG
3
NZL
3
FIN
3
AUS
Ret
ITA ESP
2
GBR
6
3rd 92
1994 Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD MON
Ret
POR
2
KEN
3
FRA
1
GRC
Ret
ARG
1
NZL
5
FIN
2
ITA
1
GBR
6
1st 116
1995 Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 MON
Ret
SWE
5
POR
5
FRA
1
NZL
2
AUS
Ret
ESP
DSQ
GBR DSQ 51
1996 555 Subaru World Rally Team Subaru Impreza 555 SWE
10
KEN IDN GRC ARG FIN AUS 25th 4
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III ITA
8
ESP
1997 R.A.S. Sport Ford Escort RS Cosworth MON
Ret
SWE KEN POR ESP FRA 11th 6
H.F. Grifone Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 ARG
5
GRC NZL
Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Corolla WRC FIN
8
IDN
Ret
ITA
8
AUS
3
GBR
Ret
1998 Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Corolla WRC MON
14
SWE
6
KEN
4
POR
Ret
ESP
1
FRA
6
ARG
Ret
GRC
2
NZL
2
FIN
4
ITA
Ret
AUS
3
GBR
Ret
5th 34
1999 Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Corolla WRC MON
3
SWE
4
KEN
2
POR
3
ESP
2
FRA
5
ARG
3
GRC
Ret
NZL
4
FIN
Ret
CHN
1
ITA
3
AUS
Ret
GBR
Ret
3rd 52
2000 SEAT Sport SEAT Córdoba WRC Evo2 MON
Ret
SWE
10
KEN
3
POR
10
ESP
13
ARG
Ret
GRC
Ret
NZL
Ret
12th 4
SEAT Córdoba WRC Evo3 FIN
11
CYP
Ret
FRA
8
ITA
17
AUS
8
GBR
9
2001 Peugeot Total Peugeot 206 WRC MON
Ret
SWE
Ret
POR
8
ESP
1
ARG
Ret
CYP
Ret
GRC
Ret
KEN
Ret
FIN
Ret
NZL
6
ITA
3
FRA
3
AUS
3
GBR
7
7th 23
2002 Didier Auriol Toyota Corolla WRC MON
Ret
SWE FRA ESP CYP ARG GRE KEN FIN GER ITA NZL AUS GBR 0
2003 Škoda Motorsport Škoda Octavia WRC Evo3 MON
9
SWE
18
TUR
Ret
NZL
8
ARG
6
GRE
9
CYP
Ret
13th 4
Škoda Fabia WRC GER
Ret
FIN
Ret
AUS
12
ITA
12
FRA
Ret
ESP
Ret
GBR
11
2005 Didier Auriol Peugeot 206 WRC MON
Ret
SWE MEX NZL ITA CYP TUR GRE ARG FIN GER GBR JPN FRA ESP AUS 0
gollark: Oh no.
gollark: ++tel graph
gollark: Oh dear.
gollark: ++tel unlink apionet `#a`
gollark: ++tel link apionet `#b`
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Carlos Sainz
Autosport
International Rally Driver Award

1992
Succeeded by
Juha Kankkunen
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Andrea Aghini
Race of Champions
Champion of Champions

1993–1994
Succeeded by
François Delecour
Preceded by
Juha Kankkunen
World Rally Champion
1994
Succeeded by
Colin McRae
Preceded by
François Delecour
Race of Champions
Champion of Champions

1996
Succeeded by
Carlos Sainz
Preceded by
Colin McRae
Race of Champions
Champion of Champions

1999
Succeeded by
Tommi Mäkinen
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