By BOB PEARCE
Scott Dixon will not have long to celebrate his victory yesterday in the United States Indy Lights motor racing championship: he has to head back to the gym and build up some muscle.
"I've got to build myself up for the Champ Car season," he said from California.
"We're going to have a few days in Las Vegas and then it will be back to Indianapolis and the gym.
"I need to to lift heavier weights and build more muscle."
The 20-year-old Aucklander confirmed his readiness to move into the premier single-seater class in the United States by winning the final Indy Lights race at Fontana yesterday to clinch the championship.
It was the first title for his team, PacWest, and they have a vacancy in the Champ Car series next year alongside Brazilian Mauricio Gugelmin.
Dixon has a drive for the season but so far there is no confirmation that it will be with PacWest.
Dixon, still the youngest driver in Indy Lights, won six of the 12 races in this his second season.
He weighs just on 60kg, which is fine for Indy Lights.
But in the bigger, heavier, faster Champ Cars, which generate enormous G-forces, it is a case of the stronger the better for the driver.
He started the final race on the superfast Fontana oval with a four-point lead over American Townsend Bell from the dominant Dorricott team.
With the maturity which has impressed several Champ Car teams, he coolly took the lead from polesitter Felipe Giaffone on the first lap and dictated the race.
On the 37th lap he lost the lead to Giaffone but took it back on the next lap and held on to the finish.
His PacWest team-mate, Tony Renna, ran in second place for much of the race, giving Dixon some breathing space.
But in the shuffle between the 37th and 38th laps Renna dropped back and Bell moved into second.
With nine laps to go Dixon and Bell broke away and the American made a despairing lunge at the finish to try to grab victory.
But Dixon prevailed by half a car's length.
With an extra point for leading most laps, Dixon finished the season with 155 points to Bell's 146 and Casey Mears' 141.
"It was definitely not a Sunday drive out there," said Dixon. "Midway through the race I was hoping Tony and I could stay together for the entire race.
"I owe a lot to Tony for covering my back and for helping me get there in the end. Basically I kept it flat all the way and it worked out as good as it possibly could have.
"It has been a superb season, although we felt a little down after a couple of DNFs coming into this last race."
Team manager and fellow Kiwi Paul "Ziggy" Harcus said Dixon had emerged as a motor racing star.
"We all look forward to see him going on to bigger and better things."
Dixon's preparation on track for the Champ Car season should be under way by November 27, when testing begins.
The first race is on a road course at Monterrey, Mexico, on March 11, followed by another road race at Rio de Janeiro on March 25.
Champ Cars next season will race in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Britain and Germany.
Motorsport: Race ace heads for the gym
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