INDIANAPOLIS – The first time Marcus Ericsson ever saw the Borg-Warner Trophy, he was just a kid watching his boyhood racing hero from Sweden Kenny Brack win the 83rd Indianapolis 500 in 1999.
“I remember watching IndyCar back home with my dad as a kid and we were watching Kenny Brack win the Indy 500 in 1999,” Ericsson told SPEED SPORT. “That’s the first time I ever saw the Borg-Warner Trophy.”
On Thursday at Union 50 in Indianapolis, Ericsson’s face was officially unveiled on the Borg-Warner Trophy as the winner of the 106th Indianapolis 500 on May 29.
Ericsson became the second driver from Sweden to win the Indy 500 and got a surprise when Brack sent him his wishes on a video.
“Congratulations Marcus on your fantastic achievement,” Brack said. “To win the biggest car race in the world and the world’s biggest one-day sporting event is something really special. It cements your place in history.
“A.J. Foyt once said to me that ‘You ain’t s— if you haven’t won the Indianapolis 500.’
“This win is the one that people will always remember you for, no matter how many more championships or victories you win, this is the one that goes into the history books.
“Job well done. Congratulations.”
Ericsson beamed as he watched Brack’s video.
“Being the second Swede after Kenny is super cool,” Ericsson said. “Me and Kenny worked together. He is the one that found me when I was 15 and helped me in my early career. He is a big part in helping me become the driver I am today.
“To see him in that message, it definitely means a lot to me.”
Ericsson and his Chip Ganassi Racing crew members attended the mid-day event at this restaurant located in the trendy Mass Ave area of Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles and BorgWarner Global Director, Marketing and Communications, Michelle Collins introduced Ericsson and helped take the wraps off the base of the trophy to reveal Ericsson’s face, about the size of an egg, cast in Sterling Silver by famed sculptor William Behrends.
“It’s amazing,” Ericsson said after the wraps were removed from the base of the trophy to reveal his face in Sterling Silver. “I love it. It looks great.
“It’s perfect.”
It’s perhaps the second biggest moment in the Indianapolis 500 behind the race itself. To have a driver’s face join the other faces on the Borg-Trophy solidifies the immortality of the achievement.
“It’s an exciting moment for motorsports in general,” Boles said. “This trophy, the Borg-Warner Trophy, has been in existence since 1936. There are 108 faces already on the trophy and Marcus is the 109th for winning the 106th Indianapolis. In 1924 (L.L. Corum and relief driver Joe Boyer) and 1941 (Floyd Davis and relief driver Mauri Rose) we actually had two winners, plus Tony Hulman is on there. Only special, special people have their face on that trophy.
“It’s also a special moment for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We talk about relationships and there aren’t many relationships more important to us than BorgWarner. The teams know it because they trust them for components in their race cars, and we know it because they help us take care of this trophy.
“There is no better trophy in the world.”
The relationship between the Indianapolis 500 and BorgWarner is easily the longest running sports sponsorship in history.
“I really never get tired of this,” Collins said. “Going through the whole sculpting process and meeting the new driver, especially when it’s a first-time winner, it’s really special to see them take the whole thing in.
“This is Will Behrends’ 33rd face on the trophy and that’s a very important number in the Indianapolis 500. He does an amazing job. I couldn’t imagine doing it with anyone else. He’s a great partner in doing this.”
The reality hit Ericsson when he saw his face on the trophy for the first time.
“I’ve been through the whole process, but it really hits you when you see it on the trophy,” Ericsson said. “From the first time I went to the Speedway, it was special to me, but now, every time I go there and to join the club of champions of the 500 is so unique and I’m very, very proud of it.
“Today is a very special day for me, as well as everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing. Joining all the previous winners on the trophy is something I’ll always be very proud of and will never forget.”
Ericsson’s thrilling win in May was the fifth Indy 500 win for Chip Ganassi Racing since 2000. Previous winners include Juan Pablo Montoya (2000), Scott Dixon (2008) and Dario Franchitti (2010 & 2012).
Originally designed in 1935, the sterling silver trophy measures over 5 feet, 4-3/4 inches tall and weighs more than 110 pounds as it carries the sculpted face of every victor since 1911. Following the unveiling in Indianapolis, the trophy will travel to Ericsson’s home country of Sweden to celebrate his victory on the racetrack.
Behrends, the sculptor behind the iconic Borg-Warner Trophy faces, begins his creative process by studying a series of 360-degree photos of the winner to get a baseline for sculpting. Winners are then invited to an in-person session where Behrends constructs a full-scale clay model of the driver’s face in his studio in Tryon, North Carolina. This life-size clay version is used as reference for Behrends to construct the smaller model, a piece created out of a mixture of oil-based clay. The smaller clay model is turned into a mold and casted in wax before being sent to a jeweler to be transformed into sterling silver. Behrends completes his process by polishing and buffing the sculpture before adhering it to the trophy.
Ericsson averaged 175.428 mph for the 200-lap race and took home a record $3.1 million in winnings, keeping runner-up Pato O’Ward of Mexico and third place finisher, 2013 Indy 500 winner and teammate Tony Kanaan of Brazil at bay.
Early next year, Ericsson will receive his BorgWarner Championships Driver’s Trophy, also known as the Baby Borg, a miniature replica of the large-scale Borg-Warner Trophy.