World-Famous BorgWarner Trophy to Honor Winner at Indy

    CHICAGO, May 11 A shining symbol of world-class racing
will make its annual appearance at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 27,
awaiting the driver whose victory at the legendary Indianapolis 500 will earn
a place not only in racing history but at the base of the BorgWarner
Indianapolis 500 Trophy.  The trophy features sterling silver visages of Indy
winners since 1936, the year the Trophy made its first appearance in Victory
Lane.
    "In the 65 years since the now world-famous BorgWarner Indianapolis 500
Trophy was first presented at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the trophy has
become a symbol -- to our employees, customers, and others in the auto
industry -- of achievement, competitive performance, speed and technological
excellence," said John Fiedler, BorgWarner Chairman and CEO.  "These same
words can be used to characterize BorgWarner.  Thus, in the Trophy, we have a
unique emblem of both the rich tradition of our past and our vision of our
future.  We'll be proud to congratulate the winner of Sunday's race, and add
another name to the ranks of outstanding drivers who have distinguished
themselves as winners of the BorgWarner Indianapolis 500 Trophy."
    Made of 80 pounds of sterling silver, the BorgWarner Indianapolis 500
Trophy stands five feet, two inches high.  It originally cost $10,000 and is
currently valued at $1.5 million.  The trophy clearly reflects the "art deco"
period of its creation during the 1930s.  Guidelines stipulated that the
trophy must represent the spirit of world-class racing, be constructed of
precious metal, and be of heroic proportions.  The completed work was
characterized by its luxurious use of geometric and stylized forms, including
wings of victory "handles" on each side of the trophy to symbolize speed, and
a Greek-like figure of a man waving the traditional checkered flag atop a
silver dome.  The winner of the trophy does not take the trophy home; it stays
on permanent display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
    "At one time, the Indianapolis 500 was something of a proving ground for
technology that had potential for use in mass-produced cars," Fiedler said.
Today, most of the specialized racing powertrain is custom-built.  Even so,
auto racing remains a powerful metaphor for the pinnacle of automotive
technology."
    BorgWarner has built on its association with the race by establishing the
BorgWarner Championship Driver's Trophy, a replica of the BorgWarner
Indianapolis 500 Trophy, which is awarded each year to the winner at Indy.
The sterling silver trophy, referred to in the automotive racing world as the
"Baby Borg," was established in 1988 so that every Indy winner would have a
lasting keepsake of the Speedway victory.  In 1998, the company marked its
70th year as a pioneering innovator in the automotive industry by introducing
the BorgWarner Team Owner's Trophy, a companion to the Championship Driver's
Trophy.  The Team Owner's Trophy goes to the owner of the racing team that
wins the Indianapolis 500, and like the Championship Driver's Trophy is a
replica of the Indianapolis 500 Trophy.  It also has a band of art-deco racing
cars accentuated in gold to symbolize the importance of teamwork in auto
racing and the automotive business.
    Chicago-based BorgWarner is a product leader in highly
engineered components and systems for vehicle powertrain applications
worldwide.  The company operates manufacturing and technical facilities in 46
locations in 13 countries.  Customers include Ford, DaimlerChrysler, General
Motors, Toyota, Caterpillar, Navistar International and VW Group.  The
Internet address for BorgWarner is http://www.bwauto.com .  For additional
information, contact BorgWarner Corporate Communications at (312) 322-8500.

    The BorgWarner Indianapolis 500 Trophy(TM) is a registered trademark of
BorgWarner, Inc.

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