Louie Unser, 71; Indy 500 Winners’ Brother Built Racing Engines

Louie Unser, 71, the older brother of Indianapolis 500 winners Bobby and Al Unser, died Tuesday of multiple sclerosis in Bullhead City, Ariz.

The twin brother of Jerry Unser Jr., who was killed at Indianapolis before the 1959 race, Louie Unser started out as a race driver and had won two stock car titles in the annual Pikes Peak hill climb when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1964.

He served as Al Unser’s mechanic for the 1965 Indianapolis 500, then turned to engine building, opening a shop in Fullerton, where he turned out racing engines for cars and boats.

He was honored at the Boat Racers Reunion/Boat Show in 2003, and had previously been honored as a “Pioneer in Racing” in 1988 by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Assn.