Olivier Grouillard (born 2 September 1958 in Fenouillet) is a racing driver from France. He started racing go-karts from the age of fourteen competing in events such as the Volant Elf. He progressed to Formula Renault winning the title before Grouillard competed in F3000 from 1985 to 1988 taking two wins. He also participated in the Birmingham Superprix but did not start the race. Info from Wiki
Bio by Stephen Latham
Olivier Grouillard started racing go-karts and competed in the Volant Elf in 1981 then progressed to Formula Renault in 1982, where he took the title.
He then graduated to French F3 with ORECA, finishing fourth, and in 1984 took the F3 title with ORECA’s Martini MK42-Alfa Romeo.
There was a move up to Formula 3000 and though he mostly qualified midfield he delivered good races then left ORECA to join Formula Team Ltd for 1986 and finished the season in fourth place.
Returning to ORECA in 1987, there were impressive qualifying performances in the March 87B. A move in 1988 to the GDBA team, racing a Lola T88/50, saw him as a championship contender though after taking three pole positions and two victories he finished second in the championship. During this period he also raced a Bigazzi BMW M3 with Luis Sala in the World Touring Car Championship.
Then came F1 in 1989, alongside Rene Arnoux at the Ligier team, and during the season there would be a ninth place finish in Brazil, eighth at Mexico and, despite having tyre and gearbox problems, sixth place at his home race in France.
Moving to Osella for the following season he qualified an outstanding eighth for the opening race in Phoenix, which was the best grid position for the team. He stayed with them for two seasons, during which time the team was renamed Fondmetal, but it would prove a disappointing time and he unfortunately left the team during the season. He was able to join AGS for the Spanish GP, though didn’t qualify for the race, and the team folded before he (and Tarquini) could go to Japan and Australia.
Olivier was then signed by Ken Tyrrell, to race the Ilmor powered Tyrrell 020B for 1992 and often qualified in the midfield. Despite a number of mechanical problems, he finished in San Marino, Canada, France and Britain but it would prove to be a disappointing season.
From this he turned to Champ Cars and endurance racing, and in 1993 raced Indy Regency Racing’s Lola-Chevrolet but despite not qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 he finished in eight out of 11 events.
That would turn out to be his last single-seater campaign and he returned to Europe to race sports cars in the BPR Global GT series. Olivier had previous sports car experience where he (and Martin Donnelly and Kenny Acheson) qualified 5th at Le Mans in 1990 although gearbox problems prevented them starting the race. He raced in the Venturi 400 Trophy with Herve Pulain, did five races in an Agusta Racing Team Venturi 600LM with Christophe Bouchut, plus raced at Le Mans in a Jacadi Racing Venturi 600Lm with Michel Ferté and Michel Neugarten
1995 saw him with Fabien Giroix in a Giroix Racing Team Jacadi McLaren F1 GTR for 3 races in the BPR series, with a fifth at Jarama and second at the Nurburgring and joined by Jean-Denis Deletraz at Le Mans they finished fifth. He then joined Mach One Racing, with Andy Wallace, and they won the three races they entered.
With Harrods on board as team sponsor, there was victory at Silverstone and a sixth place at Le Mans (with Derek Bell) plus fourth at Anderstorp, third at Suzuka and second at Brands Hatch. During the season, he also competed in the Daytona 24 Hours with Derek Hill and Gildo Pastor Pallanca though their race ended due to a transmission problem.
Entering the FIA GT Championship in 1997, he teamed with David Brabham and Perry McCarthy in a Dave Price Racing Panoz GTP Ford plus in Japanese GT, with Masami Kageyama, he raced a Toyota Supra to second place at Suzuka. His drive at that year’s Le Mans saw him teamed with Michael and Mario Andretti in a Courage Compétition C36 Porsche but they retired after fifteen and a half hours.
Returning to Le Mans in 1998, he drove a La Filiere Courage C36 Porsche with Henri Pescarolo and Franck Montagny, where they finished sixteenth.
2000 would see him in the American Le Mans Series, driving a Courage C52 Peugeot with Sébastien Bourdais, and there was a sixth place finish at Silverstone. He would take a fourth place at Le Mans in a Pescarolo Sport Courage C52-Peugeot, with Sébastien Bourdais and Emmanuel Clérico, but this would be Olivier’s last major race.
