Motorsport: Indy-star Dixon shifts up a gear

Scott Dixon had his first practice session at the Indianapolis speedway this week and is confident about his Grand Prix chances this weekend. Photo / Chris Owens

Kiwi racer back in fast lane after his worst start in 10 years and looking for a big Indianapolis double.

Kiwi IndyCar racer Scot Dixon had one of his worst starts to a season in 10 years. After two rounds he was 15th on the championship table and 80 points behind the leader.

But he's not called the Iceman for nothing, and on arriving in Long Beach for round three after a 15th and 11th place finish, the only hint of displeasure was a slightly harder set of his mouth.

Eighty laps later, Dixon was in victory lane, and a week later in Alabama he was again on the podium.

His points haul rocketed him up the table to put him third behind Juan Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves going into the Grand Prix of Indianapolis this weekend.

"God, those first two races were just awful ..." said Dixon after his first practice at Indianapolis for this weekend's race.

"I didn't really do a good job in qualifying [at Long Beach], but we had the pace. We took advantage of a pit stop mixup with some of the others and once we got out front it was all about maintaining the lead and conserving fuel.

"It's normally one of my worst tracks, but we finally got a win there. The next race at Alabama started out horrible when we started on the wrong tyres, which dropped like a rock back through the field.

"We got lucky with a caution, then the team sorted the car out and I got my sixth podium in a row there. I've never won there and it's a bit annoying."

Dixon is fifth on the all-time list of race winners, and is the most successful active driver with 36 trophies on his mantelpiece at home. The race wins, as well as his three IRL titles and an Indy 500, have been accumulated on 21 different circuits - 12 ovals, five street circuits and four tracks. But he hasn't won on the track - different to the oval used for the Indy 500 - at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

An added incentive for Dixon to win this weekend is that he'd become the first driver to win races on the oval and the race track.

"That's the goal this weekend - to get a win on the road course," he said. "It'll be hard though, as there are four others who have either won an Indy 500 or won on the road course.

"It would be pretty cool to have both wins. It's been kind of crazy so far this year and we're not normally so far up the championship at this time of year. We're 13 points out of the lead and 10 from second."

Twenty-five drivers rolled out for practice on Thursday. Sixteen of them have won IndyCar races somewhere on the planet. The remaining nine wouldn't care where they get their first win and this weekend is as good as any.

Dixon had his first outing on the track with the opening practice session. Afterwards, he said the car felt good, and it could be a good weekend.

"Practice was good and we ended up fastest, which is great. It looks like it might rain, which is not too much of a problem as we were quick here in the wet last year.

"It's always good here and a lot of fun. This track is a bit different to others as we can trim out more [less downforce] and we've had a win and a third in the past couple of years.

"Hopefully it'll go smoothly and we'll do well, as it'll start the month off well."