Marcus Ericsson is the most recent addition to the BorgWarner
BWA
household after the winner of the 106^th Indianapolis 500 winner obtained his “Child Borg” trophy final week at The Thermal Membership.

It was the most recent present the motive force from Kumla, Sweden has obtained from the automotive and know-how firm after his crowning achievement on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Might 29, 2022.

The connection between BorgWarner and the Indianapolis 500 dates all the best way again to 1935 when the famed Borg-Warner Trophy was created to honor the successful drivers of the largest race on the earth. The trophy was unveiled for the primary time in 1936 and was a part of that 12 months’s Victory Lane ceremony when Louis Meyer grew to become the primary three-time successful in Indy 500 historical past.

Meyer celebrated the victory with a chilly bottle of buttermilk as two traditions started in the identical race.

Ericsson’s face was unveiled on the everlasting Borg-Warner Trophy at a particular ceremony at Union 50 in Indianapolis on October 27, 2022.

The “Child Borg” occasion at The Thermal Membership on February 2 was when successful crew proprietor Chip Ganassi and Ericsson had been in a position to get miniature variations of the Borg-Warner Trophy that they get to maintain.

“I feel it’s so nice for the game and for the five hundred to have an organization like BorgWarner and the investments they’ve made through the years to the game and to the Indianapolis 500,” Ericsson informed me on the ceremony. “Even the Child Borg, the ceremony round it, there are such a lot of issues that they do.

“They’re like a household to be and I’m very, very enthusiastic about that.”

BorgWarner’s Dedication to the Indianapolis 500

BorgWarner embraces its dedication to the Indianapolis 500 whereas “Charging Ahead” into the way forward for automotive know-how with electrification.

Its involvement with the Indianapolis 500 is getting into its 88^thconsecutive 12 months. It’s the longest-running steady sports activities sponsorship in historical past.

“It’s a dedication as BorgWarner values the connection with the Indianapolis 500,” BorgWarner Govt Vice President and Chief Technique Officer Paul Ferrell informed me after the ceremony. “The custom is implausible. It’s a fantastic affiliation and one thing we proceed to put money into, foster and develop and we worth that relationship and historical past. The custom is a vital a part of it.”

BorgWarner and the Borg-Warner Trophy has change into an important a part of the custom of the Indianapolis 500. The trophy is on everlasting show on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, however it actually comes alive throughout the Month of Might.

On Pole Day and Race Day, the Borg-Warner Trophy has its personal pit space initially/end line serving as a continuing reminder of the prize the 33 drivers within the area are preventing for. On Race Day, it begins a procession on the IMS Museum and loaded onto a pedestal within the again seat of the tempo automobile.

Escorted by the famed Gordon Pipers, it begins its lengthy journey by way of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield and onto the monitor. Because it makes its sluggish journey out of Flip 4 down the frontstraight just a few hours earlier than the beginning of the race, the tempo automobile stops initially/end line.

It’s faraway from the pedestal and BorgWarner CEO Frederic Lissalde presents the trophy to Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles.

The trophy is on the stage for driver introductions after which moved to the platform stage of Victory Lane for most of the over 300,000 spectators to see earlier than the beginning of the race as Indianapolis Motor Speedway Roger Penske offers the command, “Drivers, Begin Your Engines.”

Afterwards, when the race winner pulls into Victory Lane and the elevator raises the successful automobile to the stage, the Borg-Wreath is positioned across the successful driver’s neck and the Trophy takes a outstanding place on the rear engine cowl of the successful automobile.

It creates a photograph that stands the take a look at of time for that 12 months’s winner.

There is no such thing as a price ticket for that sort of publicity for BorgWarner.

“That represents that lengthy, lengthy historical past,” Ferrell mentioned. “The trophy has a presence in and of itself. It’s very imposing. It’s giant. It’s very iconic. It’s particular for everybody related to BorgWarner to be a part of that and see that custom and see the trophy.

“It’s very, very particular.”

Drivers Wish to Be A part of the Household

Michelle Collins within the Director, World Advertising and marketing and Communications for BorgWarner. She has change into a well-liked determine among the many drivers on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a result of they notice what she represents, an opportunity to change into part of the BorgWarner household in the event that they win the Indianapolis 500.

“They hosted a VIP get together at The Thermal Membership the evening earlier than this occasion and the drivers got here up and mentioned, ‘Hey Michelle, I hope I see a number of you this 12 months,’” Collins informed me. “They affiliate me now with the Child Borgs and the Borg-Warner Trophy. After all, with all of those amplified actions we do through the years, taking the Borg-Warner Trophy abroad just a few occasions and doing a little particular actions with the drivers is one thing I like to do and it’s our particular present to them.

“It’s superb to consider the connection through the years. There’s nothing prefer it. There’s actually nothing else prefer it in sports activities. It’s an honor to have that long-standing historical past with it. It’s cool to be concerned with it. It’s onerous to clarify what meaning, day-to-day, however it turns into a part of who you’re and what you’re doing.”

The revealing of the winner’s face on the Borg-Warner Trophy was held late within the 12 months on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. That modified in 2019 when Simon Pagenaud’s likeness was unveiled on the trophy in Paris, France to rejoice the large second in his house nation.

For a few years, the Child Borgs had been offered to the successful crew proprietor and driver on the Automotive Information World Congress dinner on the North American Worldwide Auto Present in Detroit each January.

Collins and Steve Shunck, a longtime public relations specialist with a aptitude for promotion, determined to provide the “Child Borg” a brand new popping out get together.

“Steve Shunck has such a deep information of Indy 500 and a love of it as properly,” Collins mentioned. “He has each reality identified to man in regards to the Indy 500 memorized in his thoughts. We are going to get collectively usually and brainstorm usually about what’s arising over the subsequent 12 months, what we must always do, the place we would go and have an angle and alternative to do one thing as a result of he has such a pulse on all the things.

“It’s a fantastic crew effort. He’s not solely any person I work with, however I think about him a buddy, too.”

In September 2019, Pagenaud obtained his Child Borg at Staff Penske’s headquarters in Mooresville, North Carolina. Throughout the COVID 12 months of 2020, Takuma Sato of Japan bought his Child Borg earlier than the 2021 season-opening race on the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg throughout a particular ceremony on the Rahal Letterman Lanigan hospitality unit on April 23, 2021.

Helio Castroneves was honored for his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory when his face was unveiled on the Borg-Warner Trophy on the Indiana State Home in Indianapolis on March 3, 2022. Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb helped unveil Castroneves’ picture on the trophy.

Castroneves obtained his Child Borg at Binkley’s Kitchen and Bar within the Broad Ripple neighborhood of Indianapolis on Might 13, 2022.

In 2023, the 2022 Indianapolis 500 bought his Child Borg on this lavish personal group in California’s Coachella Valley.

“Once we came upon IndyCar Spring Coaching was taking place right here, we thought this might be a very good alternative to do one thing with the Child Borgs,” Collins defined. “We had been assured the motive force and crew proprietor can be right here, which may be very troublesome to schedule as soon as the season begins. We mentioned it with the monitor, and it was a win-win. It offers us some further protection exterior of all the things that’s taking place right here.

“It’s an thrilling option to shut out the earlier season whereas wanting ahead to the subsequent.

“We attempt to discover one thing that’s attention-grabbing to people who might be completely different each single 12 months. We need to maintain individuals guessing and maintain individuals excited.”

Contemporary Look For the Ceremony

Though BorgWarner is the oldest sponsor related with the Indianapolis 500, Collins believed it was essential to provide the ceremony a contemporary look.

“For me, seeing it with contemporary eyes, I believed it was crucial to make one thing that was very particular for the motive force,” she mentioned. “That’s what I’ve been centered on for the years I’ve been answerable for this now.

“That began in 2019 once we took the trophy to France. We did an unveil there, which all people was shocked about as a result of we had accomplished the identical factor for a number of years previous to that and we did it in August, the quickest turnaround we had ever had with Will Behrends and the face time.

“For me, it’s crucial to make it extra private. I like the Detroit Auto Present and all the things it has to supply, however I wasn’t fairly positive it was the best venue to be doing the Child Borgs at. I wished it to be one thing the motive force had a choice and selection in it, that they might invite people who meant one thing to them and will invite their crew. On the Auto Present, we by no means had the chance to have these invitees to the occasion. I believed that was actually essential as a result of I wished it to be one thing they loved and was probably not a chore to them.

“It was extra of a warm-up act, and I didn’t like that. It’s sturdy sufficient to be its personal occasion.”

The Child Borgs are the trophies the successful driver and crew proprietor get to show of their houses and workplace. The everlasting Borg-Warner Trophy, nonetheless, has taken on a lifetime of its personal.

It’s practically a dwelling, respiration object.

“We all the time say the tales it might inform if it might speak,” Collins mentioned of the Borg-Warner Trophy. “It has been a number of locations over the 80-plus years we now have had it, the locations it has been and the issues it has seen. We’ve got just a little little bit of enjoyable with that. We’ve got a social media web page for the trophy.

“We’re doing just a little bit extra with that to the purpose the place a number of drivers are interacting with that web page which has been enjoyable and funky to see. That’s precisely what we wished.”

Ganassi’s Spectacular Indianapolis 500 Success

Ericsson’s Indianapolis 500 victory was the sixth Indy 500 win for crew proprietor Chip Ganassi. His first got here in 1989 when Emerson Fittipaldi drove to victory for a crew co-owned by U.E. “Pat” Patrick.

Ganassi fashioned his personal crew in 1990 and returned to Victory Lane on the Indianapolis 500 when Juan Pablo Montoya was the winner in 2000.

Scott Dixon gave Ganassi his third Indy 500 win in 2008. Dario Franchitti drove Ganassi’s automobiles to victory in 2010 and 2012.

Ericsson’s win got here 10 years later.

“The vitality BorgWarner offers for all of us within the paddock, all of us that perceive how essential to having your face emblazed on that trophy is, that’s unmatched,” Chip Ganassi Racing Managing Director Mike Hull informed me. “Whenever you take a look at these sculptured faces on that trophy, all of them are particular and have had nice stature in motor racing and should be there.

“There aren’t too many fortunate faces on that trophy; they’re all champions.

“BorgWarner has that in widespread as a championship group.

“The Indianapolis 500 is admittedly such a particular, particular occasion.”

Collins admits earlier than the 106^th Indianapolis 500 in 2022 she didn’t know Ericsson in addition to she knew the opposite drivers within the area.

Since his victory, nonetheless, the motive force from Sweden is the most recent member of the BorgWarner Household.

“We’ve gotten to know him properly during the last 12 months,” Collins mentioned. “He was a little bit of an unknown to me. I’m studying up on the individuals within the lineup, getting their bio, attempting to suppose forward. What might I do if this individual wins? The place are they from? What alternatives can we do to leverage a few of these actions. I do an honest quantity of homework earlier than the season begins.

“He was just a little little bit of an unknown, however not this 12 months after all of the actions. We’ve got accomplished a number of issues collectively. He is a superb man and so appreciative of it. That makes my job simple. I’m glad to try this.”

And Ericsson is glad that he’s the most recent member of the BorgWarner Household, persevering with the spectacular success for the corporate as a successful driver of the Indianapolis 500.

“It’s such a particular factor,” Ericsson mentioned. “The BorgWarner individuals and IndyCar and everybody at IMS, I get to expertise so many cool issues since successful the Indy 500. It’s a win that retains on giving. It by no means ends. It nonetheless does.

“I can’t wait to get again to Indianapolis, the month of Might, because the champion.

“I nonetheless need to pinch myself. It’s a dream, for positive.”