Olivier Jacque (born 29 August 1973 in Villerupt, France) is a French former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.

Olivier Jacque
NationalityFrench
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Active years19952005, 2007
First race1995 250cc Australian Grand Prix
Last race2007 MotoGP Italian Grand Prix
First win1996 250cc Brazilian Grand Prix
Last win2000 250cc Australian Grand Prix
Team(s)Honda, Yamaha, Moriwaki, Kawasaki
Championships1
250cc: 2000
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
136 7 35 17 9 1221

Career

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He was second in the 250cc European Championship in 1994, before moving on to the 250cc World Championship. He achieved a top ten finish in the points standings every year he competed. In 2000 he had a season-long battle for the championship with Tech3 teammate Shinya Nakano and Daijiro Kato, ultimately winning the 250cc Motorcycle World Champion on a Yamaha YZR250.[1]

For 2001, he moved up to the 500cc class with the Tech3 team. He spent three years with Tech3, before starting 2004 without a ride. He made one appearance on a Moriwaki bike, but again was without a ride as 2005 started. He stepped in for the injured Alex Hofmann in China and stunned the series regulars by finishing second to Valentino Rossi on the factory Kawasaki. He was then permanently hired by Kawasaki as an occasional extra race rider. He did not race for them in 2006, but was chosen for 2007 alongside countryman Randy de Puniet, replacing Nakano. Sete Gibernau was later revealed to have rejected the ride before Jacque was offered it.

However, the season was a disaster. At Istanbul he triggered a four-bike collision, missing his braking point into a corner on lap 1 and hitting Colin Edwards, with Dani Pedrosa and Chris Vermeulen also getting caught up. In the next round in Shanghai he crashed in practice, gashing his arm severely enough to be unable to race there or at Le Mans. He again crashed in practice at Barcelona, missing this race too.

Following the series of injuries, Jacque announced his retirement from MotoGP in June 2007. He remains as development rider and technical advisor for Kawasaki Racing Team.[2]

Commitment

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Olivier Jacque is today a member of the ‘Champions for Peace’ club, a group of 54 famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization.[3]

Career statistics

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Grand Prix motorcycle racing

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Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos Pts
1995 250cc Honda AUS
Ret
MAL
10
JPN
Ret
SPA
12
GER
11
ITA
16
NED
Ret
FRA
9
GBR
4
CZE
14
BRA
7
ARG
4
EUR
9
10th 66
1996 250cc Honda MAL
4
INA
8
JPN
4
SPA
7
ITA
4
FRA
Ret
NED
Ret
GER
2
GBR
3
AUT
Ret
CZE
2
IMO
2
CAT
2
BRA
1
AUS
3
3rd 193
1997 250cc Honda MAL
3
JPN
DNS
SPA
7
ITA
5
AUT
1
FRA
Ret
NED
Ret
IMO
2
GER
2
BRA
1
GBR
4
CZE
2
CAT
6
INA
3
AUS
3
4th 201
1998 250cc Honda JPN
5
MAL
3
SPA
3
ITA
Ret
FRA
4
MAD
Ret
NED
Ret
GBR GER CZE
Ret
IMO
5
CAT
4
AUS
3
ARG
3
5th 112
1999 250cc Yamaha MAL
4
JPN
Ret
SPA
DNS
FRA ITA CAT NED GBR GER
8
CZE
5
IMO
3
VAL
Ret
AUS
2
RSA
3
BRA
4
ARG
1
7th 122
2000 250cc Yamaha RSA
4
MAL
2
JPN
4
SPA
4
FRA
3
ITA
2
CAT
1
NED
2
GBR
2
GER
1
CZE
3
POR
2
VAL
2
BRA
Ret
PAC
4
AUS
1
1st 279
2001 500cc Yamaha JPN
Ret
RSA
16
SPA
DNS
FRA
DNQ
ITA CAT
12
NED
11
GBR
9
GER
6
CZE
12
POR
8
VAL
5
PAC
Ret
AUS
6
MAL
Ret
BRA
Ret
15th 59
2002 MotoGP Yamaha JPN
Ret
RSA
6
SPA
11
FRA
Ret
ITA
9
CAT
9
NED
14
GBR
5
GER
Ret
CZE
10
POR
Ret
BRA
7
PAC
7
MAL
Ret
AUS
8
VAL
9
10th 81
2003 MotoGP Yamaha JPN
15
RSA
10
SPA
10
FRA
4
ITA
10
CAT
Ret
NED
5
GBR
Ret
GER
9
CZE
11
POR
13
BRA
Ret
PAC
13
MAL
DNS
AUS
6
VAL
Ret
12th 71
2004 MotoGP Moriwaki RSA SPA FRA ITA CAT NED BRA GER GBR CZE POR JPN
11
QAT MAL AUS VAL
Ret
24th 5
2005 MotoGP Kawasaki ESP POR CHN
2
FRA
11
ITA CAT NED USA GBR GER
Ret
CZE JPN MAL
Ret
QAT
DNS
AUS
16
TUR
13
VAL 17th 28
2007 MotoGP Kawasaki QAT
12
SPA
18
TUR
Ret
CHN
DNS
FRA ITA
16
CAT
DNS
GBR NED GER USA CZE RSM POR JPN AUS MAL VAL 23rd 4

References

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  1. ^ Olivier Jacque career statistics at MotoGP.com
  2. ^ "West to replace Jacque at Kawasaki". GPUpdate.net. GPUpdate. 21 June 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  3. ^ Peace and Sport
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