World-Famous BorgWarner Trophy to Honor Winner at Indy

CHICAGO, May 6 - As the calendar turns to May, thoughts of racing fans all over turn to the world-class racing spectacle that will close out the month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Yesterday's Opening Day will be followed by weekends of practice and qualifying, and there's never a dull moment this month at Indy. But the moment that counts will come at the finish line on May 26, when a victory at the legendary Indianapolis 500 will earn the winner a place not only in racing history but at the base of the BorgWarner Indianapolis 500 Trophy. The trophy, which features every Indy winner, made its first appearance in Victory Lane in 1936.

"In the 66 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 this year'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.