Louis Meznarie
Louis Meznarie (January 14, 1930) is a former French engine preparation expert and a team owner entrant to 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Biography
Born in Saintry-sur-Seine, France, to a father and a mother coming from Yugoslavia, he was a boy fond of mechanical games, tinkering bicycle parts to build a racing one. At thirteen, he joined a workshop and got quickly a bicycle with an auxiliary engine. From 1945 to 1948, he works for a motorcycles factory, MR, using two-stroke engines, Sachs. In 1948 and 1949, he was soldier in French army, but involved in motorcycles maintenance.
In 1950s, he began regional motocross races on a NSU Max 250 cm3 OSL : his competitors were Rémy Julienne, pioneering driving stunt performer, Roger Pinard (motorcycles seller and local champion on a Britannic one, DOT) and Georges Diani (future bodyguard of general De Gaulle, on a Monet-Goyon with a Villiers engine).[1]
From 1959 to 1971, he was an official dealer of NSU for motorcycles and motorcars, and engine preparation expert for French races: in 1968, he opened a large workshop, in Le Plessis-Chenet (Le Coudray-Montceaux town), along the National Road 7, with the support of Shell company, and became the well-known ‘’hotting-upper’’of the French mechanical story. From 1971 to 1983, he was an official engine preparation expert for Porsche, with a lot of victories in 24 Hours of Le Mans, French Rally Championship and European Rally Championship. .
NSU official dealer
- from 1960 to 1963, preparation of several official Prinz 3 (flat two-cylinders) for the Tour de France, with French driver Jean Behra,
- in 1963, preparation of one Prinz 4 for Jean Behra who wins the Tour de Corse and Monte Carlo Rally in Tourism category,
- from 1964 to 1971, preparation of several official cars (1000, 1200 or 1300 cm3, four-cylinders, 115 hp) for French drivers as Marie-Claude Beaumont (2nd of women French Rally Championship, 1966), Guy Chasseuil (2nd of French Rally Championship, 1966), Bernard Darniche (1st of Rallye du Forez and Rallye du Var in 1969) and Gérard Larrousse (4th of French Rally Championship, 1966).[2]
Porsche official engine preparation expert
- 1971 : 911 2.4-litre, 260 hp and 2,6-litre, 284 hp for Gérard Larrousse and Jürgen Barth, 9 victories (Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry , Rouen-Les-Essarts, Magny Cours,…),
- 1972 : 911 2.4-litre for Jürgen Barth, Sylvain Garant and Mike Kyser, 24 Hours of Le Mans, 13th scratch ranking, 1st in category, only one 911 finishing,
- 1973 : 911 RSR 3-litre, 310 hp (950 kg) for Guy Frequelin (Tour de France and several hill climbs),
- 1974 : 911 Carrera RSR 3-litre, 330 hp for Hubert Striebig and Hughes Kirschhoffer (24 Hours of Le Mans)[3] and 911 RS 3-litre for Thierry Sabine (French Championship, 1st in category 3),
- 1975 and 1976 : 911 Carrera RSR 3-litre,
- 1976: 934 turbo, 500 hp for Hubert Striebig and Charlotte Vernet (Albi, Silverstone, 24 Hours of Le Mans, …),
- 1977 : 935 turbo for Thierry Sabine,
- from 1979 to 1982 : 911 SC 3-litre (315 to 330 hp ) for Bernard Béguin, French Rally Championship 1st in 1979, European Rally Championship 2nd in 1980, two victories in European Rally Championship and one in Belgium Ypres Westhoek Rally) in 1981, French Rally Championship 2nd in 1982,
-1982 and 1983 : 911 SC 3-litre, 315 hp for Michel Teilhol (French Rally Championship 1st in Division 2).
"Prepare or sale a car, is not interesting to me if I don’t know who will drive it", Louis Meznarie.[4]
References
- ^ (French) Saint-Germain-lès-Arpajon : histoire contemporaine.
- ^ (French, Dutch, German, English) Auto Passion : "Interview of Louis Meznarie, NSU, 1989".
- ^ (French) Thierry Chargé : "Les 24 heures du Mans 1974 de la Porsche Carrera RSR d'Hubert Striebig préparée par Louis Meznarie", 2013.
- ^ (French) Book of Gérard Clarac : "NSU et Porsche 911 de compétition préparées par Louis Meznarie", 2008, ETAI.
Sources
- 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans : 13th position for Team Louis Meznarie
- Tour de Corse 1973 : Audi 80 for Guy Fréquelin prepared by Louis Meznarie
- 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans : 44th position for Team Louis Meznarie
- 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans : 28th position for Team Louis Meznarie
- 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans : 11th position for Team Louis Meznarie
- (French) February 2006 Newspaper (1/2): "Louis Meznarie, not so tall, but strong ..."
- (French) February 2006 Newspaper (2/2): "Louis Meznarie, not so tall, but strong...".
