2003 BorgWarner Louis Schwitzer Award Presented to Dallara Chassis

INDIANAPOLIS, May 16, 2003 -- The 37th BorgWarner Louis Schwitzer Award has been presented to Gian Paolo Dallara for the Dallara IR3 chassis. The annual award is selected by engineers and presented to engineers for innovative engineering excellence in the field of race car design.

The Dallara IR3 chassis was designed largely to meet the new 2003 IRL upgraded safety requirements. The new design is a revolutionary departure from Dallara's previous push rod front suspension design. The 2003 chassis utilizes a pull rod suspension which provides improved aerodynamics, weight reduction, and a lower center of gravity. Although the pull rod suspension was a huge design challenge for the Dallara engineering team, the end result has proven to be a success.

Considerable risk was taken by Dallara's team of engineers given that they would be committed to the new design for 3 years. The risk was one worth taking as it resulted in an award winning chassis design. This is the second time Gian Paolo Dallara has been presented with the BorgWarner Louis Schwitzer Award. Dallara also won on 1999 for chassis design.

The award has been presented since 1967 by the Indiana Section of Society of Automotive Engineers (SEA). BorgWarner, who is known for engineering excellence and product leadership, provides the $5,000 cash prize to honor superior design innovation. The BorgWarner Louis Schwitzer Award is named after the dynamic automotive pioneer, Louis Schwitzer, who held the position of chairman of SAE from 1930-1931.

BorgWarner Inc. is a product leader in highly engineered components and systems for vehicle powertrain applications worldwide. The company operates manufacturing and technical facilities in 43 locations in 14 countries. Customers include Ford, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai/Kia, Caterpillar, Navistar International, Renault/Nissan, Peugeot and VW/Audi. The Internet address for BorgWarner is: http://www.bwauto.com/. For further information contact BorgWarner Corporate Communications at 312-322-8500.