AUBURN HILLS, Mich.,
Jan. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- At
the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, BorgWarner President and Chief
Executive Officer James R. Verrier
presented Takuma Sato with his first
BorgWarner Championship Driver's Trophy™, known as the "Baby Borg,"
commemorating Sato's 2017 Indianapolis
500 victory. Sato is the first Japanese driver to win the
Indianapolis 500 and receive a Baby
Borg, which features a duplicate of his sterling silver image that
was unveiled on the iconic Borg-Warner Trophy™ in October. Andretti
Autosport owner Michael Andretti,
who has won three of the last four Indianapolis 500 races, was presented with his
fifth BorgWarner Championship Team Owner's Trophy™.
"Takuma's win marks not only an exciting moment in the history
of the Indianapolis 500 but also the
Borg-Warner Trophy's history. For the first time, the trophy
ventured outside the United States
to Japan to celebrate Sato, Honda
and the Japanese fans," said Verrier. "On behalf of everyone at
BorgWarner, we are proud to present Takuma
Sato with the 2017 Baby Borg as he truly carries on the
Borg-Warner Trophy's tradition of performance and excellence."
"I will cherish the Baby Borg as a memory of my Indianapolis 500 win for the rest of my life," said
Sato. "It is an honor to be the first Japanese recipient and to be
represented on the Borg-Warner Trophy alongside so many other great
drivers. I am looking forward to the 2018 Indy 500. It would be
great to repeat my win and add my face again to the beautiful
Borg-Warner Trophy."
On the Borg-Warner Trophy's celebration tour to Japan late last year, the trophy traveled with
Sato to several events, including stops at BorgWarner's plant in
Nabari, Honda's Thank You day and Sato's fan day, before returning
to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
The Borg-Warner Trophy's tradition of excellence and
perseverance extends to BorgWarner's technological leadership. Each
racecar is equipped with BorgWarner EFR™ turbochargers, which have
offered a competitive advantage to drivers in the Verizon IndyCar
Series since 2012. The EFR turbochargers are known for delivering
reliable and powerful performance through an unprecedented
combination of advanced technologies, including low-weight Gamma-Ti
turbine shaft and wheel assemblies for a quick boost response and
patent-pending ceramic ball bearings to increase thrust capacity
and durability while improving turbine efficiency at low expansion
ratios. In addition, the investment cast stainless steel turbine
housing provides for a highly efficient, durable and
corrosion-resistant thruster.
BorgWarner is a platinum-level sponsor of the 42nd
Automotive News World Congress, an annual event where leading
automotive executives gather to discuss challenges and trends in
the industry.
The BorgWarner Championship Driver's Trophy
A
one-of-a-kind replica of the Borg-Warner Trophy, the BorgWarner
Championship Driver's Trophy is awarded each year to the winner of
the Indianapolis 500. The sterling
silver trophy is 14 inches high, weighs 5 pounds and rests on a
beveled black marble base. The base is inscribed with the winner's
name and year of victory, and includes a hand-crafted,
three-dimensional sterling silver image of the winner, a duplicate
of the image affixed to the full-sized Borg-Warner Trophy.
BorgWarner established the driver's trophy in 1988 to provide the
driver with a personal keepsake of their victory.
The BorgWarner Championship Team Owner's Trophy
In
1998, the company established the BorgWarner Championship Team
Owner's Trophy as a companion to the driver's trophy. The team
owner's trophy is presented to the owner(s) of the winning
Indianapolis 500 racing team. Like the
driver's trophy, the team owner's trophy is a replica of the
Borg-Warner Trophy but features a band of art deco racing cars
accented in gold to symbolize the importance of teamwork in the
automotive business.
The Borg-Warner Trophy
The Borg-Warner Trophy features
the sterling silver image of every Indianapolis 500 winner dating back to Ray Harroun in 1911. Made of sterling silver,
weighing 110 pounds and standing 5 feet, 4-3/4 inches tall, the
trophy originally cost $10,000 and is
currently valued at $3.5 million. The
Borg-Warner Trophy stays on permanent display at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway Museum. To give the winner and team owners a
personal keepsake of their victory, BorgWarner established the
BorgWarner Championship Driver's Trophy™ (also known as the "Baby
Borg") in 1988 and the BorgWarner Team Owner's Trophy™ in 1998.
Both are sterling silver replicas of the Borg-Warner Trophy.
About
BorgWarner
BorgWarner Inc. (NYSE: BWA) is a global product leader in clean and
efficient technology solutions for combustion, hybrid and electric
vehicles. With manufacturing and technical facilities in 64
locations in 17 countries, the company employs approximately 27,000
worldwide. For more information, please visit borgwarner.com.
The Borg-Warner Trophy, BorgWarner Championship Driver's Trophy,
and BorgWarner Championship Team Owner's Trophy are trademarks of
BorgWarner Inc.
IndyCar (and Design) are registered trademarks of Brickyard
Trademarks, Inc., used with permission. Verizon is a registered
trademark of Verizon Communications Inc., used with permission.
From left to right: BorgWarner President and Chief Executive
Officer James Verrier presented 2017
Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato with a BorgWarner Championship
Driver's Trophy™ and team owner Michael
Andretti with a BorgWarner Championship Team Owner's
Trophy™.
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