Alain Chevallier (6 November 1947 – 3 October 2016) was a French

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

designer and builder. During the 1970s and 1980s, Chevallier designed and built road racing motorcycles using

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

engines and campaigned them in the Grand Prix world championships. His brother

Olivier Chevallier Olivier Pierre Albin Chevallier (6 February 1949 - 6 April 1980) was a French professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Born in Vendôme, Loir-et-Cher, Chevallier's best year was in 1977 when he finished in sixth place in the 350cc worl ...

rode the bikes until he was killed while competing at the Grand Prix of Le Castellet in 1980. Despite his brother's death, Chevallier continued to build and race motorcycles. In

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

Didier de Radiguès Didier de Radiguès (born 27 March 1958) is a Belgian former professional motorcycle racer, auto racing driver and current artist. He also serves as a television sports color commentator for Belgium television, a Moto GP riders manager and as t ...

rode a Chevallier-designed bike to victory in the 350cc Yugoslavian Grand Prix and finished the season in second place in the F.I.M. 350cc world championship. His Chevallier teammate

Eric Saul The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

won the

Austrian Grand Prix The Austrian Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Österreich) is a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile sanctioned motor racing event that was held in , –, –, and then returned to the Formula One calendar in . History The A ...

and finished the championship in fourth place. In 1983, three of Chevallier's motorcycles ridden by de Radiguès, Thierry Espié, and

Jean-François Baldé Jean-François Baldé (born 29 November 1950) is a French former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Born in Mulhouse, France, Baldé had his most successful year in 1981 when he won the Argentine Grand Prix The Argentine Grand ...

, finished in the top ten of the F.I.M. 250cc world championship. Baldé would also win the 250cc

South African Grand Prix The South African Grand Prix was first run as a Grand Prix motor racing handicap race in 1934 at the Prince George Circuit at East London, Cape Province. It drew top drivers from Europe including Bernd Rosemeyer, Richard "Dick" Seaman, R ...

. Chevallier would move up to the premier 500cc class in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

, building a race bike using

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

NS500 The Honda NS500 is a 500cc Grand Prix racing motorcycle of the early 1980s, powered by a two-stroke V3 engine. Created as a replacement for the innovative but unsuccessful four-stroke NR500, the bike went against Honda's preference for four-strok ...

engine. De Radiguès rode the bike to a ninth place in the world championship. In 2000, Chevallier helped design motorcycles for a new French company named

Voxan Voxan Motors is a motorcycle manufacturer founded in Issoire, France in 1995. The brand was particularly known for its 996 cc, 72° V-twin engine. Founded by Jacques Gardette, the project was to build the first French motorcycle company in ...

, with his modular composite frame design based on shaped steel tubes inserted into alloy castings doubling as fuel and oil containers respectively. Chevallier died of cancer on 3 October 2016, aged 68.

References

People from Vendôme French motorcycle designers French motorcycle racers 2016 deaths 1947 births Sportspeople from Loir-et-Cher {{France-motorcycle-racing-bio-stub