One person killed after tornado strikes Seneca BorgWarner plant

A tornado struck BorgWarner’s plant in Seneca, South Carolina, killing one contract employee and injuring four others.

The pre-dawn incident on Monday caused extensive damage to the plant where the company, which sponsors the NTT IndyCar Series and provides spec turbochargers for engine suppliers Chevrolet and Honda, manufactures a variety of technologies, including forced-induction systems.

BorgWarner’s most famous link to IndyCar is found with the $3 million trophy associated with the Indianapolis 500, and with the series’ return to turbocharging in 2012, the company was chosen to outfit the 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6s produced by Chevy, Honda, and Lotus.

In its formative years, BorgWarner supplied a single, large turbo chosen by Honda, which proved to be at a mild disadvantage to the pair of smaller turbos selected by Chevy. Efforts to equalize the single- and twin-turbo induction options proved to be enough of a challenge for IndyCar that by 2014, the series mandated twin turbos and chose a slightly larger unit that remains in use today.