BorgWarner Presents Baby Borg Trophy to 2017 Indianapolis 500 Winner Takuma Sato

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 42^nd 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™.

SOURCE BorgWarner

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