Franchitti Earns Place on Historic Borg-Warner Indianapolis 500 Trophy® With 2010 Victory

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BorgWarner Chairman and CEO Tim Manganello presented Dario Franchitti with the Borg-Warner Indianapolis 500 Trophy® in Victory Lane following his win of the 2010 Indianapolis 500. Adding the triumph to his 2007 victory, Franchitti is the eighteenth driver to win the Indianapolis 500 twice. His sterling silver image will be added to the prestigious Trophy for a second time.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100602/DE14126 )

"Founders of early BorgWarner businesses helped build the Speedway, commissioned the first trophy and even won the first auto race here. We are proud to be part of a century-long tradition of achievement, competitive performance and technology leadership at the Indianapolis 500," said Timothy M. Manganello, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BorgWarner. "I was personally honored to present the Borg-Warner Indianapolis 500 Trophy® to Dario."

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was founded in early 1909 by four Indiana businessmen, including Frank Wheeler from the Wheeler-Schebler Carburetor Company, which later merged with several other companies to become part of Borg-Warner Corporation. Later that year, Louis Schwitzer, an innovative engineer and founder of an early turbocharger business later acquired by BorgWarner, won the very first auto race at the Speedway in 1911. Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the legendary race, when it will be celebrated as the "Greatest Race in History."

In 1936, the Borg-Warner Indianapolis 500 Trophy® made its inaugural appearance at the Speedway when it was presented to winner Louis Meyer. Made of over 100 pounds of sterling silver and standing five feet, six inches tall, the Trophy originally cost $10,000 and is currently valued at $1.5 million. The Borg-Warner Indianapolis 500 Trophy® stays on permanent display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. To give the winner and team owners a personal keepsake of their victory, BorgWarner 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 Indianapolis 500 Trophy®. For more information, visit www.borgwarner.com and choose "The Indianapolis 500" from the "About BorgWarner" pull-down menu at the top of the home page.

Auburn Hills, Michigan-based BorgWarner Inc. (NYSE: BWA) is a product leader in highly engineered components and systems for vehicle powertrain applications worldwide. The company operates manufacturing and technical facilities in 61 locations in 19 countries. Customers include VW/Audi, Ford, Toyota, Renault/Nissan, General Motors, Hyundai/Kia, Daimler, Chrysler, Fiat, BMW, Honda, John Deere, PSA, and MAN. The Internet address for BorgWarner is: http://www.borgwarner.com.  

SOURCE BorgWarner Inc.

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