He began his career on a
Kawasaki when he met French Grand Prix racer
Patrick Pons. Pons helped him get his start in the international racing circuit. His first victory came in the rain in the
1977 German Grand Prix. He was injured in a 750cc race which would begin a trend of numerous injuries for the next few years. In
1982, he again won in the rain at the
Finnish Grand Prix, cementing his reputation as an exceptional wet weather rider. He finished the
1982 season 8th in the 350 class and 10th in the 250 class. Sarron would finish second to
Carlos Lavado in the
1983 250 class with another Grand Prix victory in the
Swedish Grand Prix. In
1984, he won three times on a
Yamaha and captured the
250 World Championship. The following year saw Sarron move up to the premiere 500cc division with the Gauloises-
Yamaha team where he won again in the rain at the
1985 German Grand Prix. He finished the season in an impressive third place to
Freddie Spencer and
Eddie Lawson. In
1989, he again finished third in the 500cc championship behind Lawson and
Wayne Rainey. Sarron's 500cc career occurred at a time when the bikes suited the sliding style of the Americans who had been brought up on dirt oval tracks, yet Sarron still managed to post respectable results. In 1994, he teamed up with his brother
Dominique Sarron to win the prestigious
Bol d'or endurance race. In
1995, he retired from competition to take on the role of team director for Yamaha's
Superbike team. ==Grand Prix career statistics==