The Borg-Warner Trophy is the

trophy A trophy is a tangible, decorative item used to remind of a specific achievement, serving as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most commonly awarded for sports, sporting events, ranging from youth sports to professional level athlet ...

presented to the winner of the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

. It is named for and was commissioned by automotive supplier

BorgWarner BorgWarner Inc. is an American automotive and Electric vehicle, e-mobility supplier headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. As of 2023, the company maintains production facilities and sites at 92 locations in 24 countries, and generates revenu ...

. It is permanently housed at the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is an automotive museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, which houses the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. It is intrinsically linked to the Ind ...

Speedway, Indiana Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,952 at the 2020 census, up from 11,812 in 2010. Speedway, which is an enclave of Indianapolis, is the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. H ...

. Unveiled at a 1936 dinner hosted by then-Speedway owner

Eddie Rickenbacker Edward Vernon Rickenbacker (born Edward Rickenbacher, October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.24th annual 500-mile race, where Louis Meyer, that year's champion and its first recipient, soon thereafter remarked, "Winning the Borg-Warner Trophy is like winning an

Olympic medal An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold medal, gold, silver medal, silver, and bronze medal, bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respect ...

." Alex Palou won the 2025 Indianapolis 500, and is the current reigning champion. Each year, the winning driver is presented with a miniature replica ("Baby Borg") during a reception, which for the 2019 race was presented in early September, about three months after the race. Prior to the trophy's inception, the Strauss Trophy (first awarded in 1919) was once presented to the winner. The Wheeler-Schebler Trophy was awarded to the leader at the 400-mile mark, but was retired when car owner Harry Hartz claimed it three times.

History

The trophy, which has been presented in the winner's circle after every race since 1936, is a very large, multi-tiered item which bears the

high relief High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...

sculpture of the likeness of each driver to have won the race since its inception in 1911. Inscribed are the winner's name, year of victory, and average speed. This information is alternated with the faces in a

checkerboard A checkerboard (American English) or chequerboard (British English) is a game board of check (pattern), checkered pattern on which checkers (also known as English draughts) is played. Most commonly, it consists of 64 squares (8×8) of alternating ...

pattern, evoking a checkered flag. Included on the base is the gold likeness of Tony Hulman, owner of the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, and and formerly the home of the U ...

from 1945 to 1977. On the top of the trophy is an unclothed man waving a checkered flag. Because this man is depicted naked, after the traditional depiction of athletes in

ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

art, the trophy is most often photographed at an angle so that the man's arm blocks the view of the figure's genitalia. In 1935, the Borg-Warner Automotive Company commissioned designer Robert J. Hill and Gorham, Inc., of

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

to create the trophy at a cost of $10,000. The trophy underwent a refurbishment in 1991 and again in 2004. Today it is insured in excess of $1.3 million.

Design

Made of

sterling silver Sterling silver is an alloy composed mass fraction (chemistry), by weight of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver silver standards, standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925. ''Fineness, Fine silver'' ...

, the trophy is just under tall and weighs nearly . The trophy body itself is hollow, and the

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

-shaped top is removable. From 1936 to 1985, the trophy appeared in its original form, with the bottom rim of the body serving as its stand. The original body had room for 70 winners of the Indy 500, and was destined to fill up after the 1986 winner was affixed. During the early years, the trophy was polished often for protection, but appeared too seldom be buffed to a glossy "mirror finish" and often was seen with a dull or

matte Matte may refer to: Art * paint with a non-glossy finish. See diffuse reflection. * a framing element surrounding a painting or watercolor within the outer frame Film * Matte (filmmaking), filmmaking and video production technology * Matte pai ...

finish. At no point has the trophy been allowed to fall in a state of

tarnish Tarnish is a thin layer of corrosion that forms over copper, brass, aluminum, magnesium, neodymium and other similar metals as their outermost layer undergoes a chemical reaction. Tarnish does not always result from the sole effects of oxygen in ...

or major disrepair. When the race was suspended during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the trophy was stored in a secure location. A base was added in 1986 to accommodate more winners, similar to what has been done with the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

. In 1991, the trophy went through a thorough restoration. In 2004, the first base was removed, and replaced with a new, larger base to accommodate more winners. Enough space is currently available to hold all winners through 2033. Since 1990 the winning drivers' likenesses on both the Borg-Warner Trophy and the replica trophies have been sculpted by prominent American sculptor William Behrends, who also created the statue of baseball great

Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (May 6, 1931 – June 18, 2024), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of ...

that stands at the entrance to

Oracle Park Oracle Park is a ballpark in the South of Market, San Francisco, SoMa district of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). The stadium stands along San Francisco Bay ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Baby Borg

The actual perpetual trophy is not given to the winner; it remains at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum on the grounds of the

. The winning drivers since 1988 have been presented with an tall free-standing replica of the trophy, sitting on a

bevel A bevelled edge (UK) or beveled edge (US) is an edge of a structure that is not perpendicular to the faces of the piece. The words bevel and chamfer overlap in usage; in general usage, they are often interchanged, while in technical usage, they ...

ed square base. Officially titled the "Indianapolis 500 Champion Driver's Trophy,", it has been affectionately nicknamed the "Baby Borg." The Baby Borg is typically presented the following January at a Speedway reception or sometimes at the

North American International Auto Show The Detroit Auto Show, formerly known as the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan. Hosted at Huntington Place (formerly Cobo Center) since 1965, it is among the largest auto shows in ...

in Detroit, near trophy sponsor BorgWarner's headquarters. Starting with the 1997 race, a second Baby Borg was added, presented to the winning car owner(s), officially named the "Indianapolis 500 Champion Owner's Trophy". The owner's trophy is nearly identical to the driver's trophy, except it is mounted upon a round base. Multiple owner's trophies are presented if there are co-owners to the winning team. The bas-relief likenesses from the main trophy are not replicated on the Baby Borgs, nor is the cylindrical base of the main trophy (the first of which was added in 1986). In some years, a duplicate of the sculpted likeness of the winner has been affixed to the beveled base of the driver's Baby Borg trophy. The driver's trophy can be lifted from its base if desired. Prior to 1988, winners received an upright model of the trophy mounted on a walnut plaque. Since then, some pre-1988 winners have been presented with the newer Baby Borg version. In 2011, race winner

Dan Wheldon Daniel Clive Wheldon (22 June 1978 – 16 October 2011) was a British motor racing driver who won the 2005 IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship for Andretti Autosport, Andretti Green Racing (AGR). He won the Indianapolis 500 in 2005 Indianapol ...

was fatally injured before he received his Baby Borg. His widow Susie accepted the trophy in his honor. In 2003, 3-time champion Bobby Unser was awarded the newer Champion Drivers Trophy in a surprise event for the 2002 race winner

Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...

' celebration. Since 2013, starting with

Parnelli Jones Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones (August 12, 1933 – June 4, 2024) was an American professional racing driver and racing team owner. He is notable for his accomplishments while competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Baja 1000 desert race, and ...

(the 1963 winner), the Speedway began a tradition of presenting living winners the newer Champion Drivers Trophy on the 50th anniversary of their wins had they not been awarded a Baby Borg. Jones,

Mario Andretti Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an American former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from to , and American open-wheel racing, IndyCar from 1964 USAC Championship Car season, 1964 to 1994 IndyCar se ...

(2019), and Al Unser Sr. (2020) have each been awarded with such on the 50th anniversaries of their wins. Since then, the procedure has been conducted on different drivers who had not been awarded a Baby Borg, regardless of years since their win. In 2021, Gordon Johncock was awarded Baby Borgs to represent his 1973 and 1982 wins at his Johncock Forestry Products business in South Branch, Michigan during a birthday party organised by BorgWarner. In 2022, A. J. Foyt, who has an owner's Baby Borg from 1999, was awarded a driver's Baby Borg, without the sculpted likeness, but with each side carrying one of his four wins, in 2022. In 2023, William Behrends was given a Baby Borg by BorgWarner in celebration of being the artist on the past 33 Indianapolis 500 winners, as traditionally the field consists of 33 cars. While the perpetual trophy is not given to the winner, it has, on occasion, traveled to various locations to honor the winner. In 2017, the trophy traveled to Japan accompanying

Takuma Sato is a Japanese racing driver, who competes part-time in the IndyCar Series for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Sato competed in Formula One from to . In American open-wheel racing, Sato is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 2017 a ...

on a victory tour of his home country, and went on display in Sweden after

Marcus Ericsson Marcus Thorbjörn Ericsson (born 2 September 1990) is a Swedish racing driver, who competes in the IndyCar Series for Andretti Global, Andretti. Ericsson competed in Formula One from to . In American open-wheel racing, Ericsson won the India ...

's win in 2022. Odd features have been put on the driver's likeness on the "Baby Borg" since it was introduced in 1988. In 2013,

' trophy featured a cowboy hat on his head (prior to 1970, champions were wearing an open-face helmet on their sculptures; since the bas-relief bust of the driver was newly created by Behrends, it was done without helmet and with the cowboy hat he wore primarily during that season). In 2019, because of fan requests, Simon Pagenaud's Baby Borg also featured the likeness of his Jack Russell terrier Norman. BorgWarner added a donation to the Humane Society of Indiana as part of the event, primarily because the dog had participated in the winner's circle photos.

Lore

The trophy has had quite a history; track historian Donald Davidson has noted a particular story in which a

Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study within six colleges in the arts, business, communic ...

student was given the trophy to watch in the 1930s before race day. The young man hid the trophy under his bed one night and proceeded to have a night out. Upon his return to his fraternity house, the man found the trophy missing. He looked and looked and became very worried about the trophy's whereabouts. Upon looking in the frat house's basement, he found the trophy surrounded by men who were drinking beer out of it. All of 115 beers were inside of the trophy. Emptying the beer, he wondered how he would get the smell off of the trophy and decided to take a shower – taking the trophy in with him. The winner of the 1950 Indianapolis 500,

Johnnie Parsons John Woodrow Parsons (July 4, 1918 – September 8, 1984) was an American racing driver in the AAA Contest Board, AAA and United States Automobile Club, USAC Championship Car series. He was the 1949 AAA Championship Car season, 1949 AAA List of ...

, had his name misspelled on the trophy. It was scripted into the silver as "Johnny" Parsons (which incidentally, is how his son's name was spelled). Evidence of the engraver's mistake can be seen in

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

’s 1950 movie '' To Please a Lady''. In a scene in which they filmed the trophy and feature a shot of Johnnie Parsons’ bust image, his name is clearly misspelled. During the 1991 restoration, it was proposed by the handlers to correct the spelling, even though Parsons had died seven years earlier. The decision was made to leave the misspelling in place as part of the trophy's historic lore. Through 1985, the trophy was hoisted by handlers directly behind the driver, typically on the roll bar of the car. The trophy could be easily carried by one individual, and was usually simple to transport. After the trophy was affixed with a base in 1986, the trophy's weight, height, and stability became an issue with displaying it on top of the car. At least two men were required to balance the trophy behind the driver. Since about 2004, when the trophy was expanded with the newer base, it is no longer hoisted behind the driver. Initially, the now-heavier trophy was displayed next to the car. However, the trophy was often mired in the tight, crowded confines of victory lane, and became less visible and even risked damage due to the bustling, celebrating crowd. For 2012, coinciding with the introduction of the DW-12 chassis, a special platform was constructed that fits between or behind the rear wheels and rear wing of the cars. The trophy is now placed upon this platform during the victory lane celebration, giving it once again a prominent and more visible presence during the celebration. Two or more safety patrol workers are assigned with guarding and transporting the trophy during the month of May. It is polished often, and polished several times during the month of May. In contrast to the earlier years, the trophy is almost exclusively polished and buffed to an elegant, glossy, "mirror finish." During routine times of the month, it is usually situated upon a large, sturdy, custom-built rolling dolly.

Legacy

The trophy has appeared in several films, including ''

Winning Winning may refer to: * Victory Film * Winning (film), ''Winning'' (film), a 1969 movie starring Paul Newman * ''Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman'', a 2015 documentary by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams Music * ''Winning'', an album by Ten Fo ...

'' (1969), starring

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...

, and ''

Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

'' (2013). During the month of May, the trophy has several prominent locations for display. During time trials, the trophy is typically displayed outdoors on a platform near the start/finish line. During down times, it returns to the museum. It also makes several appearances, including the Public Drivers' Meeting and the 500 Festival Parade, as well as prominent socials events and gatherings (such as banquets and balls downtown). The Borg-Warner Trophy was exclusively featured on the cover of the Indianapolis 500 Official Program in 1981, 1998, and 2002. It also appeared on the cover in lesser prevalence in 1988, 1996, and 2006. It is depicted in the cover art of the

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French holding company Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) and its focus is on "video games, consumer hardware, licensing and bl ...

video game ''

Indy 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

'', in the Midway pinball machine ''

'', and on the cover art for the

Papyrus Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'' or ''papyruses'') can a ...

'' IndyCar Racing'' Indianapolis Motor Speedway Expansion Pack.

Layout and details

When the trophy debuted in 1936, it was complete with the likenesses of all winners from 1911 to 1935 (except 1917–1918, as the race was not held those two years due to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

). Sculptor John Grawe created the twenty-four likenesses representing the first 23 races, including the two co-winners for the 1924 race. Twenty-two of the likenesses were created featuring the driver wearing his

helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protecti ...

and

goggles Goggles, or safety glasses, are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the area surrounding the eye in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes. They are used in chemistry laboratories and ...

. Two faces, those of

1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...

winner Joe Dawson and

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

winner

Tommy Milton Thomas Willard Milton (November 14, 1893 – July 10, 1962) was an American racing driver best known as the first two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. In spite of having only one functional eye, Milton came to be known as one of the finest ra ...

, showed the driver without a helmet. The likeness were placed beginning with

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

winner Ray Harroun situated in the middle square of the first row of the front side. Subsequent faces were added encircling the trophy to the right, however the starting squares for each row varied. When the winners began to be added annually after 1936, most through 1970 were depicted wearing an open-face helmet. Floyd Davis, who co-won the 1941 race with Mauri Rose, was depicted without a helmet, while Rose was depicted with one. By 1946, most were shown without their goggles. The likeness of 1957 winner

Sam Hanks Samuel Dwight Hanks (July 13, 1914 – June 27, 1994) was an American racing driver who won the 1957 Indianapolis 500. He was a barnstorming (sports), barnstormer, and raced Midget car racing, midget and American Championship car racing, Champion ...

was the final one to feature goggles. The likeness of 1970 winner Al Unser is the last to be depicted wearing a helmet (by that time, drivers were wearing full-face helmets, so the feasibility of helmets on drivers was impossible). When he won again the following year, his 1971 likeness was shown with natural hair. It has been standard practice to sculpt a brand new likeness for repeat winners, including drivers who have won in consecutive years. The likeness of 1986 winner

Bobby Rahal Robert Woodward Rahal ( ; born January 10, 1953) is an American racing driver and motorsports executive. As a driver, he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500. As co-owner of R ...

originally featured miniature glasses, as Rahal wore

glasses Glasses, also known as eyeglasses (American English), spectacles (Commonwealth English), or colloquially as specs, are vision eyewear with clear or tinted lenses mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically u ...

at the time. The tiny spectacles were crafted from metal wire. In 1993, the trophy was reportedly bumped and the glasses fell off the trophy and were broken. The glasses were repaired and later reattached. Rahal failed to qualify for the 1993 race, and some superstitious observers pointed out the incident as a bad omen. The glasses were removed permanently after Rahal started wearing contacts in the mid-1990s. Tom Sneva, the 1983 winner, insisted his likeness include glasses, and they remain to this day. Two drivers, both of whom are multiple winners, have their respective names depicted differently in different years. Four-time winner Al Unser has his name listed as "Al Unser" for his likenesses of

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

, and

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

. He is listed as "Al Unser Sr." for his

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

win, owing much to the fact that his son (two-time winner Al Unser Jr.) was now a driver. Two-time winner

Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán (; born 20 September 1975) is a Colombian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to , IndyCar between 1999 and 2022, and the NASCAR Cup Series between 2006 and 2024. Montoya won seven Formula One Grand ...

is listed as "Juan Montoya" for

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

and as "Juan Pablo Montoya" for

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

Front side

Back side

Base

First base

Following the 1985 Indianapolis 500, the likeness of race winner Danny Sullivan was added to the trophy. His face filled the 69th of the original 70 squares on the trophy body. Only one square remained on the body, which would be filled by the 1986 winner. In the weeks prior to the 1986 Indianapolis 500, in celebration of the trophy's 50th anniversary, a new cylindrical three-row base was added to the bottom of the trophy. It featured room for an additional 18 faces. On the base, the first square was filled with a gold likeness of the late Speedway president Tony Hulman. The base increased the height of the trophy to , and the weight to about . The trophy spent the month of May 1986 with one empty square left on the body, and now room for 17 additional winners on the base. The base would have enough room for winners through 2003. Bobby Rahal won the 1986 race, and was the final likeness added to the body of the trophy. Al Unser won the 1987 race, and became the first race winner to have his likeness added to the first base of the trophy. Unser also became the first winner to have likenesses on the body of the trophy (1970, 1971, 1978) as well as the base (1987). The layout and lettering of the base mimicked that of the trophy body. The driver's name was enscripted in one single line, followed by the year on the next line, and the race average speed below on the third line. The likeness of 1989 Indianapolis 500 winner

Emerson Fittipaldi Emerson Fittipaldi (; born 12 December 1946) is a Brazilian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Fittipaldi won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with Team ...

was created by 88-year old French sculptor Louis Feron, using the repouseé technique. Feron used a single flat sheet of silver and painstakingly hammered it into the shape of Fittipaldi's face. In 1991, a restoration project was conducted on the trophy. As part of the project, a reinforcement rim was added to the base for stability. The refurbishment increased the height of the trophy to , and the weight to over . The final likeness added to the original base was that of

, winner of the 2002 race.

Current base

Following the 2003 race the first base added in 1986 was removed and replaced with a larger, similar looking one. It consisted of five rows of twelve squares, allowing room for 48 faces. The likenesses of Tony Hulman and the 1987–2002 winners were relocated to the new base. The likeness of 2003 winner Gil de Ferran was the first new face to be added to the new base. The new base added at least and more than to the trophy, which now stands at , and weighs nearly . The current base is expected to accommodate winners through 2033. One notable difference on the new base is reflected in the descriptions. All listings on the new base script the driver's first name on the first line, surname on the second line, followed by the year on the third line, and average speed on the fourth line. On the old base, and on the trophy body, the drivers' names are written in one single line. Due to the increased weight and size of the trophy, it was no longer possible to hoist the trophy atop the winning car in victory lane. Handlers would place the trophy on the ground in victory lane, near the rear of the machine, but this often left the trophy obscured from view by the many people surrounding the car. Likewise in the tight confines of victory lane, the trophy was now susceptible to someone bumping into it, risking damage, requiring special care by the handlers. Starting in 2012, with the introduction of the

Dallara Dallara Group S.r.l. is the largest multi-national Italian race car manufacturer, founded by its current President, Giampaolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, in 1972 in his native village of Varano de' M ...

DW-12 chassis, a special platform was constructed to display the trophy in a more prominent fashion in victory lane. As soon as the car pulls into victory lane, the customized platform is securely placed behind the rear wing or over one of the rear wheels. The trophy is immediately placed upon the platform, and is displayed in a safer and highly visible location. In addition, during the month when the trophy is displayed trackside, it is typically placed on a decorative dolly for easy transportation.

Gallery

File:Borg-Warner Trophy at the Track.jpg, The trophy on display in the pits during qualifications File:FBbwt03.jpg, Detail

References

Sources

Borg-Warner Trophy heading for Japan
h2>

Footnotes

{{William Behrends Auto racing trophies and awards Indianapolis 500 BorgWarner Sculptures by William Behrends