Valentino Rossi as a tram driver for Milan–Cortina? One became a Le Mans record holder

Among the guest stars of the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Valentino Rossi stood out. In a recorded video, the 9-time World Champion played the role of a tram driver, taking the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, all the way to the Milan San Siro terminus. In motorcycling, a parallel can be drawn with someone who, a tram driver by profession, established himself as the record holder for appearances at the two-wheeled 24 Hours of Le Mans.

We’re talking about Gérard Jolivet, who with 25 starts is still the record holder for appearances at the 24 Heures Motos in Le Mans. While the automotive 24 Hours boasts legendary record men like Henri Pescarolo (33 starts) and Bob Wollek (30), Jolivet contested no fewer than 25 motorcycle 24 Hours at the Bugatti Circuit. Consecutive, no less, reaching this milestone at 49 years old in 2006, when the 29th edition of an event first held in 1978 took place.

Gérard began racing around that time, making his debut in hill climbs across the Alps, soon moving from factory Moto Guzzi rider to endurance motorcycle competitions. In fact, he never missed a Le Mans or a Bol d’Or from the early 1980s onward, taking fourth place at the 1989 24 Hours of the Sarthe as his best result. A longevity record holder, Gérard Jolivet, after that last 24 Hours of Le Mans contested in 2006 with a Suzuki GSX-R 1000 entered by the Village Motos dealership in Nantes (retired at the 14th hour), occasionally returned to the Bol d’Or Classic, but riding has always been in his blood. Professionally, in fact, he is a tram driver!

He drives trams and buses, while also serving as an instructor for new drivers at the Public Transport Company of the Nantes metropolitan area. He finds similarities between the two worlds, often needing to anticipate timing and demanding clean, precise driving. Perhaps this was precisely the secret to Gérard Jolivet’s longevity, still the record holder as the 24h Motos approaches its half-century of history.