Auburn Hills, Michigan, June 28, 2018 – BorgWarner is bringing its famous Borg-Warner TrophyTM – known from America’s biggest race, the Indianapolis 500 – to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Taking place at Goodwood House, West Sussex, England, from July 12 to 15, 2018, visitors will be able to experience motorsport’s greatest pioneers as well as iconic two- and four-wheelers. First held in 1993, the festival quickly established itself as a celebration of motorsports and car culture. This year’s theme, “Festival of Speed – The Silver Jubilee,” offered the perfect opportunity to display the sterling silver Borg-Warner Trophy.
Celebrating the winners of “the Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the renowned trophy features the image of every winner of the Indianapolis 500.
“We are thrilled to make our debut at the renowned Goodwood Festival of Speed by bringing the Borg-Warner Trophy to town,” said Scott Gallett, Vice President, Marketing, Public Relations, Communications and Government Affairs. “With winners such as British racing legend Graham Hill, the Borg-Warner Trophy is not only linked to American motorsports, but also to British racing history. Since the Goodwood Festival of Speed celebrates the love of racing, it is an ideal opportunity to present the Borg-Warner Trophy to racing fans.”
BorgWarner has been closely tied to motorsports for more than 100 years. In 1936, the company established the Borg-Warner Trophy for the winner of the Indianapolis 500. Designed in the popular 1930’s art deco style, the sterling silver trophy includes “wings” on the sides as a symbol for flight, stands at more than 5-feet tall, weighs in at more than 110 pounds with its base and is on permanent display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, Indiana, United States of America. For this reason, BorgWarner established a sterling silver replica to give to the champions as a personal keepsake of their victory: the BorgWarner Championship Driver’s Trophy™, widely known as the Baby Borg. Racing Legends Currently, 104 faces grace the 5 foot, 4-3/4-inch tall trophy, amongst them many racing legends. One of them, the Briton Graham Hill, is the only racing driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsports, an honorary title recognizing victories in the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monaco, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Other popular racing drivers connected to the Borg-Warner Trophy are the Unser family. Al, Al Jr. and Bobby Unser, who have won the Indianapolis 500 a total of nine times. Formula 1 champions who also have won the Indianapolis 500 include Jim Clark, Mario Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve. Furthermore, the two-time Formula 1 winner Emerson Fittipaldi won the Indianapolis 500 in 1989 and 1993. Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500 is one of the three most prestigious motorsports events in the world, along with The Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As the world’s largest annual one-day sporting event, the Indianapolis 500 was first held in 1911. During the race, 33 competitors drive exactly 804,672 kilometers (500 miles) or 200 laps. At top speeds of more than 370 km/h (230 miles per hour), the race duration averages more than 3 hours and presents a considerable challenge for the equipment as well as the drivers. More than 250,000 fans cheer the competitors on site at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Indianapolis 500 at Goodwood Festival of Speed Both events have a history with each other, as the IndyCar Series was featured at the Goodwood Festival of Speed several times already. In 2011, a magnificent line-up of Indy cars driven by past "500" winners was a highlight of the event. Additionally, some of the most famous drivers have presented their cars in West Sussex, England, since the beginning of the festival in 1993 including Dario Franchitti and the late Dan Wheldon. Franchitti won the Indianapolis 500 in 2007, 2010 and 2012, and Wheldon won in 2005 and 2011.
The iconic Borg-Warner TrophyTM shows the images of every Indianapolis 500 winner since 1911.