Yesterday Takuma Sato won the 104th Indianapolis 500 championship (his second victory – he also won in 2017) and will soon have his head added to the strangest trophy in sports for a second time, the Borg-Warner Trophy.
Indy 500 Borg-Warner Trophy (and the Baby Borg)
Standing at 5 feet, 4.75 inches, the 110-pound Borg-Warner Trophy has been part of the “Indy 500” since it first debuted at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1936. The trophy showcases, in sterling silver, the extruded faces of every Indy 500 winner in miniature, dating back to the inaugural race in 1911.
Commissioned in 1935, it was designed by Robert J. Hill and Spaulding-Gorham, Inc. of Chicago at the cost of $10,000. The trophy was initially unveiled at a dinner hosted by then-Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Eddie Rickenbacker in 1936 where it was decided upon that it would be officially declared the annual prize for Indy 500 winners. It was first presented that same year to champion Louis Meyer, who remarked, “Winning the Borg-Warner Trophy is like winning an Olympic medal.”
Designed in the Art Deco style that was popular in the 1930’s, the trophy is made of sterling silver and is just over 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs approximately 110 pounds, of which roughly 80 pounds is sterling silver.
Key design features include the “wings” on each side of the trophy that symbolize the speed of flight and the flagman on the top of the trophy with the checkered flag (who this year, during the Covid-19 Pandemic was smartly clad in a tiny face mask).
But what is so creepy about it are the numerous three dimensional heads of the individual winning racers that stand out from the trophy like little growths.
The original trophy was crafted to accommodate 70 race winners. A sterling silver base has been added twice since 1984 to accommodate the additional winners. The current trophy has space available for the race winners through 2033.The Borg Warner Trophy evolves on an annual basis as each Indianapolis 500 winner’s likeness is added by a silversmith commissioned to create the new champion’s portrait/sculpture in bas-relief. For the last 30 years, that honor has gone to American sculptor William Behrends.
The process for each new “head” begins with photos and studio sittings with the Indy 500 champion during which Behrends sculpts the initial portrait in clay.
He then transforms it to ceramic, where the finer details are added before it’s cast in wax, and finally into the sterling silver image.
Separate squares are affixed to the trophy’s sterling-silver body, on which each winner’s face, name and winning year are permanently etched. One of the few notable differences between all the added heads is that some are wearing open face helmets from the early years and the recent drivers (since 1971) are not wearing them.
The faces date back to Ray Harroun, winner of the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, and include two sets of dual victors (one driver started the race and the other finished it) for 1924 and 1941.
Four-time champions A.J. Foyt (1961, ‘64, ‘67, ‘77), Al Unser (1970, ‘71, ‘78, ‘87) and Rick Mears (1979, ‘84, ‘88, ‘91) are the only drivers to have their faces appear more than three times on the trophy. Mears is the only one of those three to have a new likeness rendered for each of his four victories. Tom Sneva (1983) is the only champion who appears on the trophy wearing his eyeglasses, by his request.
Today, 106 faces (soon to be 107 with the addition of Takuma Sato’s) grace the trophy’s squares with 2019 winner Simon Pagenaud being the most recent addition.
The Baby Borg
The Victors needn’t lug home this giant trophy because since 1988 the Champions have receive a miniature version of their own….. the “Baby Borg.”
The sterling silver Baby Borg trophy is 14 inches high (18″ with base), 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.
For his own personal Baby Borg Trophy, 2019 victor Simon Pagenaud had his adorable Jack Russell Terrier and constant companion, Norman added as well.
If you wanna see more super cute pics of Norman, follow Simon on his Instagram
A new tradition began with the 1997 winner as BorgWarner also presented the winning car owner with a “Baby Borg.”
The Borg-Warner Trophy is permanently displayed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Borg-Warner Trophy™, BorgWarner Championship Driver’s Trophy™, and BorgWarner Championship Team Owner’s Trophy™ are trademarks of BorgWarner Inc. Indianapolis Motor Speedway (and Design)
Information and images courtesy of:
BorgWarner
