Age, Biography and Wiki

Jean-Claude Olivier was born on 28 February, 1945 in Croix, Nord, France, is a French motorcycle racer and team president. Discover Jean-Claude Olivier's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 68 years old?

Popular As N/A
Occupation N/A
Age 68 years old
Zodiac Sign Pisces
Born 28 February 1945
Birthday 28 February
Birthplace Croix, Nord, France
Date of death 2013
Died Place Wancourt, Pas-de-Calais, France
Nationality France

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 28 February. He is a member of famous racer with the age 68 years old group.

Jean-Claude Olivier Height, Weight & Measurements

At 68 years old, Jean-Claude Olivier height not available right now. We will update Jean-Claude Olivier's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
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Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

Family
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Jean-Claude Olivier Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Jean-Claude Olivier worth at the age of 68 years old? Jean-Claude Olivier’s income source is mostly from being a successful racer. He is from France. We have estimated Jean-Claude Olivier's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income racer

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Timeline

1945

Jean-Claude Olivier (28 February 1945 – 12 January 2013), often referred to simply as "JCO", was a French motorcycle racer and president of Yamaha Motor France S.A. from 1992 to 2010.

He helped launch the careers of many famous French riders including Patrick Pons, Christian Sarron and Stéphane Peterhansel.

1947

Veuillet had founded the company Sonauto in 1947 and went on to become the first major importer of Porsche road cars to France.

1950

Olivier's father Gonzague had enjoyed a successful career racing Porsche sportscars during the 1950s, and became great friends with regular co-driver Auguste Veuillet.

1965

Jean-Claude Olivier joined the company in 1965 after his father recommended him to Veuillet for a position, and he was tasked with establishing Sonauto as France's first Yamaha motorcycle importer.

He drove a van around France with a selection of motorcycles in the back, which he demonstrated to potential stockists, and soon established a network of Yamaha dealers.

1969

Olivier's racing experience includes participations in the Bol d'Or at Montlhéry in 1969 and 1970.

1971

His business connections enabled him to organise a photo shoot with Brigitte Bardot riding a Yamaha AT1 in 1971, gaining much publicity for the brand.

1976

In addition, Olivier oversaw Sonauto's participation in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, where it was active between 1976 and 1991.

1977

His first cross-country rally was the 1977 Abidjan-Nice Rally.

1979

Sonauto brought four Yamaha XT500s to the inaugural Dakar Rally in 1979, to be ridden by Gilles Comte, Christian Rayer, Rudy Potisek and Olivier.

Between them, the riders won 7 of the 11 stages in the motorcycle category and placed second and eighth overall with Comte and Rayer respectively.

Olivier himself won the final leg of the third stage and won the fourth stage, but collided with the Range Rover of Christophe Neveu in the following special stage.

He fractured his wrist and was forced to withdraw from the event.

Yamaha's Dakar Rally wins in 1979 and 1980 were followed by a lean period.

1984

The team won the 250cc championship in 1984 and took a premier-class race victory in 1985 with their longtime rider Christian Sarron.

For 1984, Olivier and Sonauto aided in the development of the Yamaha XT600 Ténéré, named after the region of the Sahara.

This was a production motorcycle but featured upgrades that made it more suited to rally competitions.

1985

He was a veteran of nine editions of the Dakar Rally, placing second in the motorcycle category in 1985.

The Yamaha VMAX, introduced in 1985, was originally designated solely for the North American Market.

However, Olivier immediately recognised the potential popularity of a powerful naked bike in Europe and arranged for it to be homologated for the Continent.

To drum up interest, he convinced a friend to spend the summer cruising on a VMAX around fashionable locations across the South of France and, by the end of this campaign, 30 orders had already been placed.

For 1985, Sonauto helped the brand produce their first prototype motorcycle built specifically for the event, a modified version of the XT600 Ténéré.

Olivier led a 2-3-4 finish in the motorcycle category.

Later that year, he took part in the Pharaohs Rally but suffered a fall and fractured several bones.

Despite their upturn in form, Olivier felt that Yamaha needed a more powerful engine to remain competitive, with average speeds increasing every year.

He lobbied the managers of Yamaha Japan to develop a more potent two-cylinder engine but was unsuccessful.

At the same time, the brand's new

four-cylinder FZ750 motorcycle was proving both powerful and reliable.

Undeterred, Olivier obtained an FZ750 engine and fitted it to an XT600 frame, creating a prototype known as the Yamaha FZ750 Ténéré.

The model was promising in testing and Olivier gained full support from the factory to develop it.

The motorcycle boasted 94 bhp, considerably more than their competitors, but weighed a hefty 197 kg and struggled for traction on sand.

1986

The bike was made available in France in 1986 and, by the end of the 1990s, sales in France were higher than in North America.

This negated its competitive edge and Olivier only managed 12th in the 1986 Dakar Rally.

1988

For 1988, Olivier brought André Malherbe, a three-time Motocross World Champion, and young rider Stéphane Peterhansel to the rally, but this edition proved tough.

Malherbe suffered a serious accident that broke his neck and left him paralysed.

Olivier was the first to come across the scene of the accident.

He stopped to give first aid, and attracted the attention of the rescue crew by setting fire to Malherbe's motorcycle.

He only left the scene to continue his own rally at Malherbe's urging.

Olivier himself fell and broke his arm later in the rally, but continued to ride and finished the event 7th overall.