INDIANAPOLIS, May 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- BorgWarner will
present the coveted BorgWarner Championship Driver's
Trophy®, affectionately known as the "Baby Borg" to
legendary racer Mario Andretti on
Sunday, May 26, 2019, commemorating
the 50th anniversary of his 1969 Indianapolis 500 win. The Baby Borg tradition
didn't begin until 1988, so at the time of Andretti's win, there
was no driver's trophy for the winner of the race.
Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8542051-borgwarner-honors-mario-andretti-indy-500-win/
"Mario Andretti is one of the
greatest racers of all time, his accomplishments are legendary and
likely will never be equaled by another racer," said Frederic
Lissalde, President and CEO, BorgWarner Inc. "It is truly our honor
to create a Baby Borg trophy for Mario, and present it to him in
commemoration of the 50th anniversary of his Indy 500
win."
A one-of-a-kind replica of the Borg-Warner Trophy®,
the BorgWarner Championship Driver's Trophy has been awarded each
year since 1988 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 bas-relief
style sterling silver image of the winner, traditionally 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.
"Receiving this Baby Borg trophy is like winning the race
again," said Mario Andretti. "It is
incredibly thoughtful of BorgWarner. I am honored to have a Baby
Borg and cherish what it means. I am genuinely appreciative of
everyone who continues to acknowledge my Indy 500 win 50 years ago.
Looking ahead, I will continue to enjoy watching young drivers in
pursuit of this trophy. And, with a touch of sentiment, I will let
this trophy bridge the gap between past and present for
me."
Mario Andretti is arguably the
most successful American driver in the sport of automobile racing.
To date he is the only driver to ever win the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500 and the Formula
One World Championship. Over the course of his career, Andretti
chalked up 111 career wins in major race series, and he is the last
American to date to win a Formula One race, with his 1978 victory
at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Andretti's career highlights are lengthy and impressive. His
list of racing accomplishments in so many different automotive
racing disciplines will likely never be seen again. He has won in
every major automobile racing discipline.
Over the course of his illustrious career, which spanned five
decades, Andretti's career highlights include:
- Four-time Indy car National Champion (1965, 1966, 1969,
1984)
- Indianapolis 500 winner (1969)
- Three-time Indianapolis 500 pole
winner (1966, 1967, 1987)
- Formula One World Champion
(1978)
- Daytona 500 winner (1967)
- Pikes Peak Hill Climb winner (1969)
- Three-time 12 Hours of Sebring winner (1967, 1970, 1972)
- USAC National Dirt Track Champion (1974)
- IROC (International Race of Champions) Champion (1979)
- All-time leader in Indy car pole positions won (67)
- All-time Indy car lap leader (7,595)
- All-time leader in Indy car race starts (407)
- All-time leader in wire-to-wire Indy car victories (14)
- Second all-time in Indy car victories (52)
- Only driver ever to win Indy car races in four decades (1960s,
1970s, 1980s and 1990s)
- Won races in five decades (1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and
1990s)
- Oldest race winner in Indy car history, with 1993 victory at
Phoenix at age 53
- Only driver to win the Indy 500, Daytona 500 and the Formula
One World Championship
- Only driver to be named Driver of the Year in three different
decades (1967, 1978, 1984)
- Named Driver of the Quarter Century (1992) by vote of past
Drivers of the Year and a panel of 12 journalists
- Named Driver of the Century by The Associated Press
(December 10, 1999)
- Named Driver of the Century by RACER magazine (January,
2000)
- Named Greatest American Driver Ever by RACER magazine (May,
2002)
- From 1961 to 2000, competed in 879 races, had 111 wins and 109
poles (includes all forms of motorsports)
The 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500, "The Greatest Spectacle in
Racing," takes place on Sunday, May 26,
2019 and is televised by NBC.
About 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.
About 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.
About 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 borgwarner.com
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 68 locations in 19 countries, the
company employs approximately 30,000 worldwide. For more
information, please visit borgwarner.com.
View original
content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/borgwarner-honors-mario-andretti-and-the-50th-anniversary-of-his-indianapolis-500-win-with-the-coveted-borgwarner-championship-drivers-trophy-300854269.html
SOURCE BorgWarner