Jacques Cornu died on Monday at the age of 72. The former Neuchâtel pilot died following a long illness, reports “ArcInfo”.
A well-known and loved figure among French-speaking people, the Swiss, and beyond, Jacques Cornu left his mark on the history of his sport in the 1980s and early 1990s, it is recalled. In 250 cc, he won twice during the 1988 world championship, in France and in Austria, then again during the Belgian GP the following year. He finished on the final podium of the world championship twice.
The “great Jacques”, as he was often nicknamed, had achieved success after long years of hardship. A good client for the media, smiling, not shy of witticisms, the mustachioed man knew how to endear himself to the general public.
“Le Matin” met him in 2018, at the time of his legal retirement, his 65th birthday, at his home in Hauterive. Jacques Cornu then had his head full of travel plans.
“I don’t want to live in the past. I of course feel pleasure when I find those who shared part of my career, but I am not the type to only talk about that. In addition to the sporting side, I know what this life has brought me: the human factor of teamwork, travel, meetings,” said the pilot. “A lot of people my age rarely leave the country; I have traveled part of the world, but often without being able to take enough time to understand people. It’s not in hotels and on circuits that we discover the reality of life.”
“I want to make the most of life as long as my health allows,” he emphasized.
“RIP, the big blond on the red motorcycle” commented former TSR commentator Bernard Jonzier on social networks, with many beautiful images of the missing man.
