Motorsport: Dixon sets third-fastest lap in Indy 500 warm-up

New Zealand's Scott Dixon posted the third fastest lap yesterday among 33 drivers who took part in the Miller Lite Carb Day during final preparations for the Indianapolis 500.

Dixon completed only eight laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in his Target Chip Ganassi G Force/Toyota but wound up near the top of the speed chart with a fast lap average speed of 349.85km/h, the quickest Toyota-powered Indy car of the day.

"We did most of what we needed to do," Dixon said.

"We just wanted to make sure the car would run and that we didn't have any big problems."

Dixon starts from the inside of row five on Monday afternoon (NZ time) in his second start in the race for team owner Chip Ganassi. He finished 17th in his first "500" last year.

Starting mid-pack among the 33 drivers in the starting lineup, Dixon realised that he would need to move up quickly early on.

"You need to move up as quick as you can so you're not vulnerable," Dixon said of the hectic nature of the traffic on the 4km oval.

"We'll do our best to move forward early-on and then slide up the last 150km," he said.

Rookie Kosuke Matsuura had the day's fast lap of 352.8 km/h and Fernandez Racing G-Force/Hondas team-mate Adrian Fernandez was second quickest.

- NZPA