Olivier Quesnel : From Peugeot Sport to OAK Racing (JN Holdings)
Olivier Quesnel, the former Director of Peugeot Sport and Citroën Racing, will be working with OAK Racing since his appointment as Chief of Competition Activities of the JN Holding group (JN for Jacques Nicolet). His mission is to develop the group's activities and to diversify in the field of motorsport.
The man who led Peugeot to complete domination in ILMC, ( precursor of the FIA World Endurance Championship) has left the French manufacturer after he announced his retirement from racing in January. Olivier Quesnel was responsible for the 908 HDi FAP that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2009 by continuing the work of Michel Barge, Peugeot Sport's predecessor, and the magnificent duel last year between the new 908 and the new Audi R18 that won by a margin of only 13 seconds in La Sarthe.
His experience of the press, gained as Director of Hommell media group, which includes Autohebdo, may be useful to another branch of Jacques Nicolet's group, the photo agency DPPI Media.
Olivier Quesnel: “The past four years have been magnificent as I was able to win almost everything on offer as part of a prestigious organisation. The page has now been turned and a new, equally interesting challenge has been presented to me. I look forward to giving this ambitious young group – who have already produced great results – the benefit of my experience and helping them to reach the next stage in their development. I have no doubt that my association with Jacques Nicolet and his staff will be successful and that his group can become one of the major forces in endurance racing. This is our joint objective entering into the collaboration.”
Jacques Nicolet, President of JN Holding: “I could not have dreamt of a better opportunity than to have Olivier Quesnel join me in the development of our motorsport activities. His experience and knowledge of the industry will open up new horizons and allow us to grow into other sectors where our activities can flourish. His recent work with and knowledge of the working practices of a major car manufacturer also represents a tremendous asset, not least in view of our desire to forge new partnerships with automotive companies. What’s more, his background in publishing and his knowledge of the media industry make him the ideal candidate to help us provide DPPI Media with fresh impetus. Olivier’s international expertise in all of these fields directly meets the criteria we were looking for to help drive our group forward.”
Dave Davies (Quotes from OAK Racing press release)
Photo : Olivier Quesnel (left) Goes to JN Holding, that includes (among other things) the OAK Racing team of Jacques Nicolet.