IN MEMORY OF LOUIS DESJARDINS, 1942 – 2023

The Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame lost one of its own recently and we couldn’t be more heartbroken. Louis Desjardins passed suddenly and unexpectedly on September 8th, 2023, at 80 years of age.

Louis was one of the first legends inducted into the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2015. His impressive career started when he was 16 when he raced go-karts. Immediately he was winning championships.

In 1972, Louis won the Grand Molson National with a 1969 Chevrolet in SS/PA and was the first Quebecer to win Nationals for the NHRA. In 1974, he was the runner-up in SS/LA among 1,300 cars at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis with his 1969 Camaro, with which he won a total of nine trophies. In 1988, he finished 5th in the world in all-around points with his 1982 Firebird, setting the record for his class SS/GTC. That same year, he won the Points Meet in Englishtown New Jersey, one of the toughest places to race.

He may have sold his car and retired from racing in 1999 but he was still very involved in drag racing, frequently going to races and spending time with his friends in the industry. He was a regular visitor here at John Scotti’s Lamborghini Montreal and the home base of the CDRHF. His smiling face will definitely be missed.

Rest in peace, brother.