By BOB PEARCE
Scott Dixon may have made it to Champ Cars, the top level of motorsport in the United States, but he still aims for Formula One.
And because of the way the two series are developing he stands a good chance of becoming the first Kiwi since Mike Thackwell in the 1980s to compete in the world's premier championship.
Thackwell was 19 1/2 years when he contested the Canadian Grand Prix that year, becoming the youngest driver ever to compete in Formula One. But he never really had a chance to impress.
Chris Amon, in contrast, also began as a 19-year-old in 1963 and enjoyed a 13-year career, particularly with Ferrari, which had him dubbed the best driver never to have won a grand prix.
From his dairy farm at Bulls, Amon was enthusiastic about Dixon's chances of making it to Formula One.
"I'm really quite excited," he said. "Suddenly, after all this time, we have the chance of seeing another New Zealander there.
"If Dixon can have some good results in Champ Cars I think he has a good chance of moving across.
"The Champ Car series is now so international and they race on many more road circuits than they used to, so the Formula One teams look there for talent."
Dixon has already made his mark in the United States by winning the Indy Lights championship this week in only his second season.
Indy Lights is recognised as the nursery for Champ Cars and many of the teams run cars in both series.
For years Formula One and Indycars, the original name for Champ Cars, had little common ground and at some levels that feeling persists. Bernie Ecclestone, the tsar of Formula One, would not allow Sky Television to screen both series a couple of years back.
Recently there has been a change. Bobby Rahal, a past Indycar champion and still a team owner, is moving from being temporary chief executive of the parent body, CART, to running the Jaguar team in Formula One.
The Green Brothers, owners of Team Green, have shown an interest in taking over a share of the BAR team, which runs Jacques Villeneuve.
Villeneuve made the switch from Indycar champion to Formula One glory with Williams and next season Williams will run former Champ Car champion Juan Montoya.
From an early age Dixon looked to Formula One as the pinnacle of the sport and he clearly has not changed his view.
After clinching the Indy Lights title at Fontana, he said his management team kept exploring the possibilities.
"It depends on a lot of things, but we're going to try. Now that there are Champ Car owners in Formula One it might open a few doors."
Drivers shifting between the two series have not always been successful. Mario Andretti began in Indycars, won the Formula One world title in 1978, then continued to enjoy success back in the States into his 50s.
But his son, Michael, could not make the adjustment to Formula One when driving for McLaren in 1993.
More recently, Alex Zanardi came to Williams as Champ Car champion, but hardly fired a shot in Formula One and drifted out of the sport.
Formula One remains on the cutting edge of technological innovation, incorporating driver aids such as power steering and sophisticated gear shifts.
Champ Cars tend to be less sophisticated, but a policy of sharing technology advances among all teams means close racing and many different winners.
But for years the biggest difference between the two series was the American liking for oval speedways, where the cars raced at phenomenal speeds on banked circuits.
The ultimate speedway was at Indianapolis, where the world-famous Indy 500 was the mecca for many of the world's best drivers.
Amon raced there twice and hated it. The first time, in 1967, he was with an American team who knew how to set the car up, but he crashed when a suspension upright broke.
He was back there three years later with McLaren, who never really got to grips with the set-up required.
"It was very physical. Like driving a truck. The cars also got incredibly hot because the driver wasn't insulated from the engine."
These days Tony George, owner of the Indianapolis Speedway, has broken with CART and started his own series. Indycars were renamed Champ Cars to emphasise the split and few of their drivers make it to the speedway.
There are still plenty of ovals in the Champ Car season, but road racing also plays a part. And the championship now visits Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Britain and Germany, playing to a worldwide television audience.
Dixon was at Greenmeadows Intermediate School in Manurewa when he first drove a single-seater in the Formula Vee championship at the age of 13. He won that title in his first year, then triumphed in Formula Ford, Australian Formula Brabham and now Indy Lights.
A similar progression through the Champ Car ranks could see his Formula One dream become a reality.
Motorsport: Dixon keeps Formula One dream alive
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.