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We’re delighted to welcome Belgian Group B rallying and endurance racing legend, Marc Duez, to Tuthill Porsche’s team of expert instructors at Below Zero Ice Driving for the next two weeks.
Born near the Spa Francorchamps circuit, Marc made his motorsport debut through karting in his late teens. In 1977, he embarked on the rally career that underpins a reputation as one of the great all-round drivers of his generation.
Marc’s first major appearance in rallying came with a works drive for Toyota Team Europe in 1978. An attempt on the 1979 Belgian championship brought a run with the works Ford team at Haspengouw, five more events in a privately entered Escort and four rallies in a Fiat 131 Mirafiori. Results included fourth, third and second position finishes, but that win proved elusive.
Duez switched to Porsche 911 SC in 1981 and success was instant. Claiming wins on the Bianchi Rally and Rallye du Condroz, second in Boucles du Spa and fourth overall in the Ypres 24-hour rally, the Belgian made his mark on the sport. Bianchi and Boucles were rounds of the European Rally Championship, so winning a round of the ERC brought the up-and-coming star to the attention of several European teams in the all-powerful World Rally Championship.
Success continued in 1982, with six wins for Duez and the 911 SC to dominate the Belgian championship. The calendar also included another ERC win and third place with the famous Belga squad in Haspengouw. When Belga brought an Audi Quattro A1 to Haspengouw the following year, Duez claimed his first win on the event, also winning Boucles de Spa in the Quattro.
Marc picked up factory drives with Austin Rover in the V8 SD1 and Metro 6R4, working alongside several Tuthill mechanics along the way. Duez won Germany’s Metz Rally in the Quattro A2 and claimed a couple of UK top four finishes in the 6R4. In 1986, he put in a full season of 6R4 rallying at the height of Group B notoriety, claiming first, second and third finishes in the European championship before the Group B cars were finally banned.
Marc continued his winning ways over subsequent years, building memorable seasons in the BMW M3 and Ford Sierra Cosworth rally cars and claiming wins on rallies as disparate as the Circuit des Ardennes and France’s all-gravel Rallye Terre de l’Auxerrois. We were proud to count Marc amongst our highly competitive rivals in WRC RGT on events such as the Monte Carlo Rally.
Away from the rally scene, Marc claimed three victories in the 24 Hours of Spa, four wins at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, a win at the 24 hours of Zolder and class wins at both Daytona and Le Mans 24-Hours. Marc’s ice racing credentials are equally special, with years of ice racing in Europe.
We are delighted to add Marc’s skills to the list of unique selling points at Below Zero Ice Driving! Contact the Below Zero team to discuss a booking during the final weeks of our 2018 season.
