INDYCAR universal aero kit earns prestigious Louis Schwitzer Award

INDYCAR's Tino Belli and Dallara's Andrea Toso are introduced as the Louis Schwitzer Award winners for 2018

Walter Kuhn/IMS

The prestigious Louis Schwitzer Award was awarded Friday to four men instrumental in the design and development of the INDYCAR universal aero kit that has generated so many positive reviews in its debut this season. Tino Belli, INDYCAR's director of aerodynamic development who spearheaded the program, was honored with the award along with Andrea Toso and Antonio Montanari of Dallara, INDYCAR's chassis and aero kit manufacturer, and Chris Beatty, whose conceptual aero kit designs were significant every step of the development process.

The Schwitzer award is presented by BorgWarner and the Indiana Section of the Society of Automotive Engineers. It includes a $10,000 prize, as well as having recipients' names added to a trophy listing all winners dating to the first presentation in 1967.

The Schwitzer Award recognizes individuals for innovation and engineering excellence in racing technology associated with the Indianapolis 500. It memorializes Louis Schwitzer, winner of the first auto race at IMS in 1909 and designer of the "Marmon Yellow Jacket" engine that powered the Marmon Wasp to victory at the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911.

"This award is for engineers, provided by engineers, so it's just in the technical environment," Toso said. "I see this award as a right example to reward engineers. The engineers are the unsung heroes of our society. They are under a lot of pressure to comply with a lot of requirements – technical, stylish, performance, crash safety and such. Really, they are on the front stage like we are today."