Olivier Pain (born 16 April 1981 in

Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the ...

) is a French rally-raid and

enduro Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on extended cross-country, off-road courses. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges. The main type of enduro event, and the format to which the World Enduro Championship is run, is ...

motorcycle rider, best known for his participation in the

Dakar Rally The Dakar Rally (or simply "The Dakar"; formerly known as the "Paris–Dakar Rally") is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal ...

Career

Pain made his Dakar Rally debut in 2006, when he finished 28th overall riding a

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 ...

before improving to 16th in 2007. He failed to finish the event in 2009, but recorded his first top-ten finish in the Dakar in 2010, finishing the event ninth overall, a result which led to him being signed by Yamaha's official team for the following season. In his first Dakar rally as a factory Yamaha rider in 2011, Pain broke his wrist whilst in contention for a podium finish, preventing him from finishing the rally.Olivier Pain - Yamaha Racing
''yamaha-racing.com'', Retrieved January 12, 2014. Pain repeated his ninth-place finish from two years previously in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, and secured a best ever finish of sixth the following year having led the overall classification for four stages before a navigational error on the eighth stage of the rally set him back. After his tenth Dakar in 2016, Olivier Pain took a year off. For the 2018 Dakar, the 40th edition of the rally, he competed again, this time in the "Original" or "

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

" category, not directly supported by a manufacturer or team, and doing all maintenance on his motorcycle himself. In a translated interview on the official Dakar Rally web site, he said, "I have always admired the Dakar drivers without assistance. For me, it's a way to approach the race differently, to find the sensations of a first Dakar! I believe to be the first Elite driver to participate in motorcycle trunk after experiencing the comfort of an official structure. My passion for the rally is intact, I want to enjoy this 40th edition without the pressure of the ranking and reconnect with the origins of this event. I feel like a beginner ... " Outside of the Dakar Rally, Pain has also won the Rally of Tunisia in 2008 and the 450cc category of the world rally-raid cup in 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pain, Olivier 1981 births Living people People from Niort French motorcycle racers Off-road motorcycle racers Enduro riders Dakar Rally motorcyclists Sportspeople from Deux-Sèvres