Jacques Godard

Jacques Alain Godard (born 7 February 1957 in Paris, France) is a French former racing driver, best known for his time in the Dywa Grand Prix Series. Between 1978 and 1980 he was known under his racing pseudonym "Michel Vaillant".

Godard was a fairly talented driver in his karting days, and moved to the Dywa Grand Prix Series for his first taste of open-wheel racing. His father was a friend of the comic's creator Jean Graton, and to aid Jacques' career, Graton agreed to sponsor his team with the caveat being that Jacques would drive under the pseudonym of "Michel Vaillant", complete with the famous blue helmet. Driving in 1978 for Vaillante Équipe Dywa France, Godard initially struggled in qualifying; however in round 2 of the season at Imola, he produced a remarkable drive to win the race after starting from 26th (and last) place on the grid.