Four engineers who were involved in the creation of the brand-new IndyCar aero kit that will be used at tomorrow’s Indy 500 were presented with the Louis Schwitzer award, which recognizes individuals for engineering excellence in racing technology related to the Indianapolis 500.
IndyCar engineer Tino Belli was celebrated along with Andrea Toso and Antonio Montanari from Dallara and Chris Beatty Design Limited for the IndyCar Universal Aero Kit (UAK18), which is a complete aero and body package that was unveiled ahead of the 2018 racing season and put to use for the first time at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The “super speedway” version of it will be put to use during the 102nd running of the Indy 500 on Sunday.
The Louis Schwitzer Award is championed by BorgWarner and the Indiana Section of Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International. John Norton, otherwise known as the IndyCar “Turbo Guy,” serves on the committee for the award and helps discuss potential candidates and winners.
“This is our 52nd year doing the award and nominations include turbos, chassis design, and aero kits,” Norton told The Drive. “It’s not only about stuff that helps cars go fast, as safety devices like the SAFER Barrier and HANS Device have won in the past—it is a broad range.”
BorgWarner, the sole turbocharged supplier of the Verizon IndyCar series and creator of the famous BorgWarner Trophy celebrated the winners with a check for $10,000 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“With this award we celebrate the people behind the scenes that make the Indianapolis 500 the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ – the engineers that spend countless hours dreaming up, developing and implementing the technologies that continually improve the action on the track, whether through improved performance, safety, or efficiency,” said James R. Verrier, President and Chief Executive Officer, BorgWarner. “We are proud to acknowledge excellence in race-car engineering by immortalizing on the Louis Schwitzer Award trophy Chris Beatty, Tino Belli, Antonio Montanari and Andrea Toso, who developed the IndyCar Universal Aero Kit. Congratulations to this year’s winners!”
Louis Schwitzer is the winner of the first race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909 and designer of the “Marmon Yellow Jacket” engine that powered the Marmon Wasp to victory at the first Indy 500 in 1911. In 1918, after working in the automotive industry for many years, Schwitzer founded Schwitzer Corporation, which produced innovative cooling fans, water pumps and turbochargers.