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BorgWarner Presents Championship Driver's And Team Owner's Trophies At 2014 Automotive News World Congress


borg Warner

AUBURN HILLS, MI--Jan. 16, 2014: BorgWarner presented Tony Kanaan with his first BorgWarner Championship Driver's Trophy™ during the 2014 Automotive News World Congress held in Detroit, Michigan, on January 15. Affectionately known as the "Baby Borg" to racing fans, the personal keepsake sports a sterling silver visage of the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner, a duplicate of the 100th image displayed on the iconic Borg-Warner Trophy™. Team co-owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser of KV Racing Technology also accepted a BorgWarner Championship Team Owner's Trophy™.

"One hundred faces now adorn the prestigious Borg-Warner Trophy. Each represents a personal as well as a team victory, a crowning achievement earned through dedication, skill, collaboration, innovation and leadership," said James R. Verrier, President and Chief Executive Officer, BorgWarner. "Everyone at BorgWarner is proud to be part of this tradition at the Indianapolis 500. We are pleased to present the Driver's and Team Owner's Trophies to Tony, Kevin and Jimmy as symbols of their outstanding achievement."

As a special surprise, Tony's six-year-old son, Leo, also received a mini Baby Borg to take home with him to Brazil. "After winning the Indianapolis 500, Leo thought that I would bring the Borg-Warner Trophy home," said Tony Kanaan. "But after seeing it in the Indianapolis 500 Museum, he understood that it was too big. The mini Baby Borg is a beautiful keepsake he will always treasure."

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 five 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 also 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

First presented in 1936, the Borg-Warner trophy features the image of every Indianapolis 500 winner sculpted in sterling silver as a tribute to over 100 years of racing history. Since the trophy stands over five feet tall and weighs more than 100 lbs., it remains on display at the Indianapolis 500 Museum, making special appearances during events such as the presentation of the driver's and owner's trophies at the World Congress. For more information, visit borgwarner.com, and choose "The Indianapolis 500" from the "Company" pull-down menu at the top of the home page.