The Borg-Warner Trophy stays on permanent display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
The 100th image on the Borg-Warner Trophy, featuring 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan, was unveiled to the general public at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum in early December.
Cast in a checkerboard pattern with the winner’s name, victory year and average speed under each sculpted head, the trophy features the three-dimensional sterling silver image of every Indianapolis 500 winner dating back to Ray Harroun in 1911. Kanaan’s image was sculpted by renowned American artist William Behrends, who has created the winning drivers’ images since 1990.
James R. Verrier, President and Chief Executive Officer of BorgWarner, had this to say about the unveiling: “Unveiling the 100th face on the Borg-Warner Trophy was a true milestone in a long tradition of achievement at the Indianapolis 500. Each image represents a driver and team that rallied to reach the pinnacle of performance. At BorgWarner, the same spirit of competitive performance drives us to maintain our own track record of technology leadership. We are proud to be part of this historic event.”
Kanaan, also had some profound words for the media: “It was an honor to win the 2013 Indianapolis 500, something I’ll remember and cherish for the rest of my life, to take my place in history as the 100th face on the Borg-Warner Trophy alongside my friends Dan (Wheldon) and Dario (Franchitti), and other great Indy 500 winners like Foyt, Mears, Andretti and the Unsers is truly humbling.”
The Indianapolis 500 has been won 97 times in the past 103 years ( Why missing six? Fun fact: there were no races during WWI and WWII). However, in 1924 and 1941, two drivers actually shared the win, one for starting the race and the other for finishing it. In tribute to his rejuvenation of the track and the inception of the Indianapolis 500 following World War II, a 24-karat solid gold portrait of late Speedway Owner and President Anton “Tony” Hulman, Jr., was also added to the trophy in 1988, bringing the total number of images to 100. Two bases have been added to the original trophy, providing added extra room for more winners until the year 2034.
The Borg-Warner Trophy stays on permanent display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. To console the winner with a personal keepsake, BorgWarner established the BorgWarner Championship Driver’s Trophy (also known as the “Baby Borg”) in 1988, which includes a duplicate image of the winner. The BorgWarner Team Owner’s Trophy was also established in 1998. Both sterling silver replicas of the Borg-Warner Trophy will be presented during the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit on January 15, 2014.
For more information about the Indy 500 and it’s trophies, visit: Borgwarner.com
