Jean-Claude Olivier (28 February 1945 – 12 January 2013), often referred to simply as "JCO",[1] was a French motorcycle racer and president of Yamaha Motor France S.A. from 1992 to 2010.

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.

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.

[2] 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.

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.

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.

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

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

[10] 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.

He was instrumental in convincing Yamaha to return to Dakar in 2004, when David Frétigné [fr] took three stage wins and placed 7th in the final classification.