Num dia cinzento, uma alegria

After making his return to the MotoGP paddock in Japan last month, Olivier Jacque is set to contest his second Grand Prix this season aboard the Moriwaki MD211VF. The French rider has reached an agreement to compete with the Japanese chassis manufacturer, who run a Honda V5 engine in their own prototype frame, in the final round of the season at Valencia.

“I am really happy to be riding again,” commented Jacque, who finished eleventh at Motegi. “It’s a pleasure for me to be involved in the development of this bike. The Grand Prix in Japan was a fabulous experience.

“Even if the circumstances of the race were favourable to us, eleventh place was a fantastic result. We got the bike down to some good times and we made progress from the first minute, right through each session and in the race.”

The former 250cc World Champion was initially pencilled in to compete in Sepang this weekend but revealed that the team preferred to get more testing time in before their next competitive appearance.

“We were supposed to race in Malaysia but, for technical reasons, we decided it would be better just to test at Sepang on the Monday and Tuesday after the race. We still have a lot of work to do, especially with the tyres. It’s really enriching for me because the whole team is competent, motivated and easy to get on with.

“It’s a good thing that we are going to Valencia for the final Grand Prix of the year. Firstly because I really like the circuit, secondly because the bike should go well there and also because it will be nice to race Europe again. I’m really impatient – I’m dying to get racing again!”