Engineers, designers

Mario Illien and the late Paul Morgan made a huge mark on American open wheel racing when they formed Ilmor Engineering Ltd. (“Il” from Illien, “mor” from Morgan) in 1983. Now into a fourth decade, Ilmor has designed and built 21 Indy 500-winning engines and as of the end of 2021 had claimed 335+ victories in the top American open-wheel series. Its engines have powered 20 IndyCar drivers’ championships and 22 manufacturers’ titles. Its engines also have earned 44 F1 wins and three championships. The duo met while working at Cosworth Engineering. Convinced they could do better, they sent a 30-page handwritten business plan to Roger Penske. Penske became a partner in the new venture and brought Chevrolet aboard soon after. When Chevrolet temporarily withdrew from IndyCar, Ilmor produced the legendary pushrod Mercedes engine for the 1994 Indianapolis 500 — the only engine to win the pole and the race in its first (and only) appearance at the Brickyard. Sadly, Morgan was killed in 2001 while landing one of his WWII-era warplanes.