Nicolas Vouilloz

{{Short description|French mountain biker and rally driver (born 1976)}} {{BLP sources|date=November 2025}} {{for|the Swiss footballer|Nicolas Vouilloz (footballer)}} {{use dmy|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox cyclist | name = Nicolas Vouilloz | image = Vouillozmc2011head2.JPG | caption = Vouilloz at the 2011 Monte Carlo Rally | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|02|08|df=yes}} | birth_place = Nice, France | death_date = | death_place = | discipline = Mountain biking | role = Rider | majorwins = | medaltemplates= {{MedalCountry|{{FRA}}}} {{MedalSport|Men's mountain bike racing}} {{MedalCompetition|World Championships}} {{MedalGold | 1992 Bromont|Junior downhill}} {{MedalGold | 1993 Métabief|Junior downhill}} {{MedalGold | 1994 Vail|Junior downhill}} {{MedalGold | 1995 Kirchzarten|Downhill}} {{MedalGold | 1996 Cairns|Downhill}} {{MedalGold | 1997 Château-d'Œx|Downhill}} {{MedalGold | 1998 Mont Sainte-Anne|Downhill}} {{MedalGold | 1999 Åre|Downhill}} {{MedalGold | 2001 Vail|Downhill}} {{MedalGold | 2002 Kaprun|Downhill}} | show-medals = yes }} '''Nicolas Vouilloz''' (born 8 February 1976) is a French professional mountain biker and former professional rally driver.

==Biography== [[File:Vouilloz Klinger 2009.jpg|left|thumb|Vouilloz at the 2009 Monte Carlo Rally]] Vouilloz won the Downhill Mountain Bike World Championships ten times, starting as a junior in 1992 and finishing his career with his 10th victory in 2002, only placing lower in 2000 finishing 8th. He also won sixteen World cup Downhill races and is widely considered as the greatest male downhill racer of all time.

Vouilloz was born in Nice, France. In 2000, he started rallying in local and then national rally series. He debuted in the World Rally Championship at the 2001 Monte Carlo Rally. His best result in the WRC is ninth place at the 2004 Wales Rally GB, driving a Peugeot 206 WRC for the Bozian Racing team. Being a Peugeot protégé and development driver, Peugeot Sport paired Vouilloz with experienced codriver Denis Giraudet (winner of the 1994 WRC title with countryman Didier Auriol). [[File:Vouilloz Veillas 2010.jpg|thumb|left|Vouilloz at the 2010 Monte Carlo Rally]] [[File:Vouillozmc2011.JPG|thumb|left|Vouilloz at the 2011 Monte Carlo Rally]] Following Peugeot's decision to pull out of the WRC, Vouilloz competed on a full-time basis in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge from 2007 to 2009. He was runner-up in 2007 with three wins. In 2008, he won the championship in a Peugeot 207 S2000, ahead of Belgian teammate Freddy Loix, with one win, six second-place finishes and top 5 finishes in each race.<ref>{{cite web | title=Vouilloz claims title, Loix claims victory at Valais | work=Eurosport | url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/25102008/29/vouilloz-claims-title-loix-claims-victory-valais.html | accessdate=8 January 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> In 2009 he finished fourth with the same car, collecting three podiums but no wins.

After several years absence from the mountain biking scene, Vouilloz returned to race professionally in 2007 at the fourth round of the World Cup in Champery, Switzerland. He races for Lapierre Ultimate Cycles and is currently involved in the Enduro World Series.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dumitru|first=Mihai|title=Nicolas Vouilloz – campion în sporturi cu pedale|url=http://ciclist.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/nicolas-vouilloz-campion-in-sporturi-cu-pedale/|work=ciclist.wordpress.com|publisher=Veni, Vidi, Velo|language=Romanian|accessdate=2014-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710235254/http://ciclist.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/nicolas-vouilloz-campion-in-sporturi-cu-pedale/|archive-date=2014-07-10|url-status=dead}} </ref>

==Complete World Rally Championship results== {| class="wikitable" border="1" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%;" |- ! Year ! Entrant ! Car ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! WDC ! Points |- | 2001 ! nowrap| Nicolas Vouilloz ! nowrap| Renault Clio RS | MON | SWE | POR | ESP | ARG | CYP | GRE | KEN | FIN | NZL | ITA |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| FRA Ret | AUS | GBR |colspan=2| ! NC ! 0 |- | 2004 ! nowrap| Bozian Racing ! nowrap| Peugeot 206 WRC |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MON Ret | SWE | MEX | NZL | CYP |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| GRE Ret | TUR | ARG | FIN |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| GER 12 | JPN |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| GBR 9 |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ITA Ret |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| FRA Ret |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| ESP 10 | AUS ! NC ! 0 |- | 2005 ! nowrap| Nicolas Vouilloz ! nowrap| Škoda Fabia WRC | MON | SWE | MEX | NZL | ITA | CYP | TUR | GRE | ARG | FIN | GER | GBR | JPN |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| FRA 11 |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ESP Ret | AUS ! NC ! 0 |- | 2006 ! nowrap| Equipe de France FFSA ! nowrap| Peugeot 307 WRC | MON | SWE | MEX | ESP |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| FRA Ret | ARG | ITA | GRE | GER | FIN | JPN | CYP | TUR | AUS | NZL | GBR ! NC ! 0 |}

==IRC results== {| class="wikitable" border="1" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%;" |- ! Year ! Entrant ! Car ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! WDC ! Points |- | 2007 ! nowrap| Peugeot Sport España ! nowrap| Peugeot 207 S2000 | KEN | style="background:#ffffbf;"| TUR 1 | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| BEL Ret | style="background:#ffdf9f;"| RUS 3 | style="background:#cfcfff;"| POR 9 | style="background:#ffffbf;"| CZE 1 | style="background:#ffdf9f;"| ITA 3 | style="background:#ffffbf;"| SWI 1 | CHI |colspan=3| |style="background:#dfdfdf;"| '''2nd''' |style="background:#dfdfdf;"| '''42''' |- | 2008 ! nowrap| Peugeot Team Bel-Lux ! nowrap| Peugeot 207 S2000 | style="background:#dfdfdf;"| TUR 2 | style="background:#ffdf9f;"| POR 3 | style="background:#dfdfdf;"| BEL 2 | style="background:#dfffdf;"| RUS 5 | style="background:#ffffbf;"| POR 1 | style="background:#dfdfdf;"| CZE 2 | style="background:#dfdfdf;"| ESP 2 | style="background:#dfdfdf;"| ITA 2 | style="background:#dfdfdf;"| SWI 2 | CHI |colspan=2| | style="background:#ffffbf;"| '''1st''' | style="background:#ffffbf;"| '''68''' |- | 2009 ! nowrap| Peugeot Team Bel-Lux ! nowrap| Peugeot 207 S2000 | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MON Ret | style="background:#dfdfdf;"| BRA 2 | KEN | style="background:#ffdf9f;"| POR 3 | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| BEL Ret | RUS | style="background:#dfffdf;"| POR 4 | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CZE Ret | style="background:#ffdf9f;"| ESP 3 | style="background:#ffdf9f;"| ITA 3 | SCO | ! 4th ! 31 |- | 2010 ! nowrap| Škoda Motorsport ! nowrap| Škoda Fabia S2000 | style="background:#ffdf9f;"| MON 3 | BRA | ARG | CAN | ITA | BEL | AZO | MAD | CZE | ITA | SCO | CYP ! 15th ! 6 |- | 2011 ! nowrap| Škoda Motorsport ! nowrap| Škoda Fabia S2000 | style="background:#dfffdf;"| MON 7 | CAN | FRA | UKR | BEL | AZO | MAD | CZE | HUN | ITA | SCO | CYP ! 14th ! 6 |}

==Palmarès== *World Cup Downhill Champion : 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 *Downhill World Champion : 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 *Downhill Junior World Champion : 1992, 1993, 1994

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category|Nicolas Vouilloz}} * [http://www.nicolasvouilloz.com Official website]{{dead link|date=May 2026}} * {{sports links}}

{{s-start}} {{s-sports}} {{succession box|before=Enrique García-Ojeda|title=Intercontinental Rally Challenge Champion|years=2008|after=Kris Meeke}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vouilloz, Nicolas}} Category:French rally drivers Category:Downhill mountain bikers Category:1976 births Category:Intercontinental Rally Challenge drivers Category:World Rally Championship drivers Category:European Rally Championship drivers Category:Living people Category:French male cyclists Category:Racing drivers from Nice Category:UCI Mountain Bike World Champions (men) Category:French mountain bikers Category:Cyclists from Nice Category:Peugeot Sport drivers Category:Škoda Motorsport drivers