Castroneves reveals new image on the Borg-Warner Trophy

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Last May, Castroneves not only matched the record for Indianapolis 500 victories, joining A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears as a four-time winner, his victory was also the fastest in history, won at an average speed of 190.690 mph, thanks to just two caution periods, amounting to a total of 18 laps.

Castroneves’ fourth bas-relief visage – his previous wins came in 2001, ’02 and ’09 – will be the 108^th face on the Borg-Warner Trophy, whose update was unveiled in the Indiana Statehouse in downtown Indianapolis.

Michelle Collins, global director of marketing and PR for BorgWarner Inc. stated: “The Borg-Warner Trophy represents one of the greatest traditions and honors in the world of motorsports. It’s a triumph all drivers hope to experience, and I am truly pleased and honored to carry on the legacy of unveiling the trophy.

“To have your face etched on the Borg-Warner Trophy once is an accomplishment of a lifetime, but four times speaks to Helio’s dedication, persistence and passion for his sport. On behalf of all of BorgWarner, we extend our sincerest congratulations on this outstanding achievement.”

Designed in 1935, the original trophy was constructed to accommodate 70 race winners, including drivers who had already won the race to-date. Since 1987, two additional sterling silver bases have been added to the trophy to accommodate more winners and currently the sterling silver trophy stands at 5 feet, 4-3/4 inches tall and weighs approximately 110lbs.

William Behrends, the sculptor behind all the faces on the Borg-Warner Trophy since 1990, in 2015 began inviting winners to an in-person session at his studio where he has already constructed a full-scale clay model of the driver’s face based on photos. Although Behrends had crafted Castroneves’ face for the trophy three times before, this was the first year that the Brazilian veteran had visited the studio for Behrends to apply the finishing touches to the model.

The life-size clay replica is used as a reference while working on the smaller model, a sculpture crafted from a mixture of oil-based clay. The small model is turned into a mold and caste in wax, which is then sent to a jeweler to make its transformation into sterling silver for attachment to the trophy.

“I am thrilled to have my fourth silver likeness on the Borg-Warner Trophy,” said Castroneves. “It's such a special moment in my career to see my face alongside other Indy 500 winners and the three other four-time winners - A.J., Al and Rick. To visit sculptor Will Behrends in-person for the first time was an extremely special experience for me. To see the level of detail and professionalism he puts into his craft makes it that much more gratifying to see the final product of his amazing work. Today unveiling my image was a special day for myself and Meyer Shank Racing.”

Castroneves will receive his BorgWarner Championship Driver’s Trophy, the so-called ‘Baby Borg’, which is a miniature replica of the Borg-Warner Trophy featuring a duplicate of his sterling silver image on the main Trophy. Team owners Michael Shank and Jim Meyer will receive their own miniature replica, the BorgWarner Championship Team Owner’s Trophy.