Reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi said receiving his miniature Borg-Warner Trophy Wednesday in Detroit was different than other race-related experiences he’s had since winning the 100th running in May 2016.
For one, he gets to keep the memento known as “the Baby Borg.”
“The most memorable experience was seeing my face on the actual trophy,” Rossi said at the annual Automotive News World Congress dinner at the Renaissance Center held in conjunction with the North American International Auto Show. “But you can’t take it home.”
Rossi first saw his likeness on the actual trophy Dec. 7 during an unveiling at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in Indianapolis. Rossi knows where the big trophy resides – at IMS – but he does not yet have a place to showcase the smaller version he received. However, he got advice from Andretti-Herta Autosport team owners Michael Andretti and Bryan Herta.
Andretti keeps those he won with Dan Wheldon (2005), Dario Franchitti (2007) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014) in his office at team headquarters in Indianapolis. Herta has the one he won with Wheldon (2011) displayed at his home office in Valencia, Calif.
Andretti’s Verizon IndyCar Series team ranks second only to Team Penske in placing the most drivers in victory lane at the Indianapolis 500. Roger Penske’s organization has won the race a total of 16 times with 11 different drivers. Like Andretti, Lou Moore and Chip Ganassi also won the race with four different drivers.
“That makes me proud because it shows we’ve been doing a great job as a team,” Andretti said. “It’s not just been the driver (in the car).”
BorgWarner has given a replica Indianapolis 500 trophy to each race winner since Rick Mears after his 1988 victory.
SOURCE: INDYCAR