Mario Illien
Mario Illien (born August 2, 1949 in Chur , Switzerland ) is a Swiss engineer and engine developer. He is the founder and co-owner of Ilmor and a two-time recipient of the Louis Schwitzer Award for Engineering Innovation Excellence .
Life
Following an apprenticeship as a technical draftsman at Emser Werke , Illien studied mechanical engineering at the Biel Technical Center in the early 1970s . During his student days he worked as a mechanic for the Swedish Grand Prix driver Joakim Bonnier and developed a Formula 2 engine for Simca and a drive unit for a racing motorcycle. In 1977, after completing his studies, he was initially involved in the development of diesel drives for armored vehicles at Mowag in Kreuzlingen, but he was drawn back to motorsport.
Via Cosworth to Ilmor
In 1979 he moved to Cosworth in Northampton , England , where he met Paul Morgan , and in 1984 he founded the Ilmor company with him . Together with financier and team principal Roger Penske , Illien and Morgan developed the Ilmor Chevrolet engine, which won a total of 86 IndyCar races, six Indianapolis 500 and five IndyCar titles between 1987 and 1993 in the racing series dominated by Cosworth engines .
formula 1
Illien then concentrated on international racing and developed the Ilmor Formula 1 engine, which was used by the March , Tyrrell , Sauber and Pacific teams from 1991 . In 1993 Mercedes joined Ilmor. From 1995, the engines in the rear of the McLaren came from Mario Illien and were able to win the drivers' title with Mika Häkkinen in 1998 and 1999 and achieve several Grand Prix victories.
Special Projects Group and start-up of Ilmor Engineering
After Paul Morgan's death in 2001, DaimlerChrysler AG increased its stake in Ilmor to 55 percent in 2002 and it was agreed that the remaining shares should be gradually taken over. In 2001 Illien founded the Special Projects Group as an independently operating group within Mercedes-Ilmor Limited. The Special Projects Group consisted of the 60-strong team that developed and produced the GM-IRL engine. After DaimlerChrysler took over the remaining 45 percent of Mercedes-Ilmor in 2005 and renamed the company Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines , Illien and Roger Penske acquired the Special Projects Group including the naming rights to "Ilmor" and re-founded Ilmor Engineering Limited . With this he is independent again and produces IRL engines for Honda and NASCAR engines for Penske Racing . In 2006 and 2007 Illien was also represented in motorcycle racing and competed in the MotoGP class of the motorcycle world championship with the Ilmor SRT X³ , which was developed together with Eskil Suter . During the 2007 season, this commitment ended for financial and technical reasons.
Private life
Mario Illien is married and has two children.
Footnotes
- ↑ 1986 for the Ilmor Chevrolet engine and 1994 for the Mercedes-Benz 500I engine
- ↑ Ilmore Engineering: Profiles . Archived from the original on October 27, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
- ↑ Ilmor is withdrawing with immediate effect
Web links
- Official Ilmor website
- List of the winners of the Louis Schwitzer Awards (PDF file; 9 kB)
- Portrait on grandprix.com (engl.)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Illien, Mario |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss engineer and engine developer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 2, 1949 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chur , Switzerland |