Louis Schwitzer Award
The Louis Schwitzer Award is presented annually to an engineer, or a team of engineers, for excellence in the design, development and implementation of new, innovative motorsports technology concepts for use in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The focus of this award is on those concepts that improve the performance, safety, or energy efficiency of racing cars, related components and systems, or driver and race track support equipment.
| Louis Schwitzer Award | |
|---|---|
 The Louis Schwitzer Award trophy. | |
| Awarded for | Awarded for excellence in motorsports engineering. |
| Sponsored by | BorgWarner |
| Location | Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
| Country | United States |
| Reward(s) | Miniature trophy replica |
| First awarded | 1967 |
Award details
The award has been presented annually since 1967 by the Indiana Section SAE International[1] in honor of early racing pioneer and past Indiana Section Chairman Louis Schwitzer, winner of the first race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Each year prior to the running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, a committee of Indiana Section SAE International members meets with technical representatives of the IndyCar Series to identify potential candidates for the award. The committee then interviews those candidates and selects a winner. Award sponsor BorgWarner provides a $10,000 cash prize to the winner, and the winner's name is added to a permanent trophy on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
Among the many previous award winners are the developers of the revolutionary safety devices the HANS device and the SAFER barrier.
Past recipients
| Year | Winner(s) | Concept |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Andy Granatelli | STP-Paxton Turbocar |
| 1968 | Dan Gurney | Low cost racing engine |
| 1969 | Colin Chapman | Lotus Type 64 |
| 1970 | Bruce McLaren | McLaren M15 |
| 1971 | Josef Karasek | McNamara chassis |
| 1972 | Dan Gurney | Eagle chassis |
| 1973 | Smokey Yunick | Stock block engine |
| 1974 | A. J. Foyt | Coyote chassis |
| 1975 | Parnelli Jones | Parnelli VP6J chassis |
| 1976 | Roman Slobodynskyj | Lightning chassis |
| 1977 | Bruce Crower & Bob Bubenik | Automatic clutch and flat-eight engine |
| 1978 | Roman Slobodynskyj | Laydown Lightning chassis |
| 1979 | Jim Hall & John Barnard | Chaparral 2K chassis |
| 1980 | Geoff Ferris | Penske PC-9 chassis |
| 1981 | John Ward | Eagle chassis |
| 1982 | Geoff Ferris | Penske PC-10 chassis |
| 1983 | Vernon Gleasman | Gleason-Torsen differential |
| 1984 | Robin Herd | March 84C chassis |
| 1985 | Ron Kociba & Joe Negri | Buick V6 Turbo engine |
| 1986 | Mario Illien | Ilmor-Chevrolet engine |
| 1987 | Stuart Grant | Goodyear Racing radial tire |
| 1988 | John Lindo & Ray Sorce | Tilton Carbon-Carbon clutch |
| 1989 | Anthony Purnell | Intelligent dashboard |
| 1990 | Bill Simpson Mike Held Tim Halsmer Luciano Aquirre | "Beadall" racing helmet |
| 1991 | Don Halliday | Truesports 91C chassis |
| 1992 | Alan Mertens | Galmer chassis |
| 1993 | Nigel Bennett | Penske PC22 chassis |
| 1994 | Mario Illien | Mercedes-Benz 500I engine[2] |
| 1995 | Chris Munroe & Don Nowicki | Tire monitoring system |
| 1996 | Dave Schnelker I-Fu Shih Ning Wu Ed Rothrock | Racing EyeCue |
| 1997 | Ed Keating & Roger Allen | Oldsmobile Aurora V-8 engine |
| 1998 | John Melvin & John Pierce | GM Motorsports Safety Technology Research Program |
| 1999 | Gian Paolo Dallara | Dallara chassis |
| 2000 | Paul Burgess | G-Force GF05 chassis |
| 2001 | Robert Hubbard & James Downing | HANS device |
| 2002 | Dr. Dean Sicking Dr. Ronald Faller Dr. John Rohde Dr. John Reid Jim Holloway | SAFER barrier |
| 2003 | Gian Paolo Dallara | Dallara IR3 chassis |
| 2004 | Yasuhide Sakamoto Steve Eriksen Steve Miller Steve O'Connor | Honda HI4R-A engine |
| 2005 | Glen Gray Andy Inman Tim Kronenberg Erskine Carter Bruce Natvig | Delphi Earpiece sensor system |
| 2006 | Penske Racing Thomas German Justin Horning Tom Janiczek | Rear wing adjuster tool |
| 2007 | Glen Gray Andy Inman Tim Kronenberg Erskine Carter Bruce Natvig | Delphi Accident data recorder 3 |
| 2008 | Andrew Heathershaw Soungjin Wou Nick Belonogoff Andrea Toso | Bishop Steering Technology Variable ratio rack and pinion steering technology |
| 2009 | Jeff Horton | Head and neck restraint extension (a safety add-on to the HANS Device) |
| 2010 | Charles Becnel Patrick Luke Christophe Marques - Mezzo Technologies Tino Belli - Andretti Autosport | Mezzo microChannel radiator |
| 2011 | Roger Griffiths | Honda refueling safety interlock system |
| 2012 | Mark Kent & Matt Wiles (GM) Steve Miller & Steve O'Connor (Ilmor) | Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Engine |
| 2013 | Dale Harrigle & Brett Schilling (Bridgestone) | Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 Race Tire |
| 2014 | Andrea Toso (Dallara) | Dallara Advanced Driving Simulator |
| 2015 | Arron Melvin Charles Ping Chris Berube Mark Kent | 2015 Chevrolet Aero Kit |
| 2016 | Arron Melvin Tino Belli Alex Timmermans | Rear Beam Wing Flap |
| 2017 | Don Burgoon Darin Cate Paul Rankin James Borner Mark Wagner | PFC Carbon Disc Brake System [3] |
| 2018 | Tino Belli Andrea Toso Antonio Montanari Chris Beatty | Dallara DW12 UAK18 Universal Aero Kit[4] |
| 2019 | Cara Adams Brett Schilling Phil Severyn | Firestone Firehawk 2019 Indy 500 Race[5] |
See also
References
- "The Indiana Section of SAE International - Louis Schwitzer Award". Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- "8W - What? - Penske-Mercedes PC23 500i". 8w.forix.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
- "PFC Brakes engineers awarded Louis Schwitzer Award".
- INDYCAR'S UNIVERSAL AERO KIT EARNS PRESTIGIOUS LOUIS SCHWITZER AWARD
- "2019 Louis Schwitzer Award Borg Warner press release".