Scott Dixon took out pole at last year's Indy500. Photo / Photosport
Scott Dixon took out pole at last year's Indy500. Photo / Photosport
Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon is as excited and driven to keep winning heading into his 20th season as he was in his first in 2003 but increasing depth is making the competition tougher.
The flying Kiwi gets his 2022 season off the line this weekend at St Petersburg, Florida,and is quietly confident after the team's recent test session at Sebring, where he was sixth fastest.
"Luckily, we had the 24 Hour [Daytona] and stuff to keep my hand in since the IndyCar season finished in September," Dixon told the Weekend Herald.
"We've had plenty of podiums at St Petes and dominated the race a couple of times but then found the wall or something.
"We only did one day of testing at Sebring. You can try and win the testing at Sebring but it doesn't mean much. You've really got to stick to your programme and your base set-up.
"We did a good job across the board making sure we stuck to the areas we needed to improve and found a few fixes, so looking good."
The 41-year-old South Aucklander has topped the podium at least once every season and is one win away from equalling Mario Andretti's 52, second on the all-time list behind AJ Foyt's 67. If Dixon wins his seventh title this year, he'll also equal Foyt as the most successful single-seater racer in American motorsport history.
Dixon placed fourth overall last year on 481 points, with Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Alex Palou taking the title with 549. Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin, racing for Team Penske, finished as Rookie of the Year with 305 points in 14th.
"It was surprising where we ended up last year considering the many near misses we had and how tight the field is now," Dixon said.
"I think we lost 60 points alone at the Indy 500. It just shows the consistency you need to have throughout the season [to win the title]. Indy double points can be a real bummer when you get it wrong, so I need to focus on trying to win that one."
Scott Dixon at Daytona International Speedway last month. Photo / Getty
Dixon started last year's Indy 500 as favourite from pole position but his chances were ruined when he ran out of fuel during the first sequence of pit stops, as a result of a caution coming out, closing the pits and trapping him out on the track. He had to make a stop for emergency service but the crew could not refire the stalled engine before he fell a lap down.
"The competition is what pushes everyone, and what we now have in the series definitely fires you up.
"There's also a big focus on being consistent, and with the depth of the field now, it's getting tougher.
"It adds different situations to strategies and how you approach different race weekends and time on track. It now takes a lot of planning through the whole weekend.
"It was plain and simple last year where [Ganassi] cars across the board had multiple wins. One of our cars won the championship and that's the main goal."
While Dixon fought hard for the title last year, he was also instrumental in helping Palou claim his first championship by sharing his vast experience in the category, as well as set-up and race data.
"Experience can help but sometimes going into a race with no preconceptions can also be an advantage.
"All the drivers in the series are pretty good to have got to this stage. We all help each other, especially in Chip's [Ganassi] team and it's an open book.
"You're always trying to help the team push forward and get the best result, which we did by winning the championship."
IndyCar has become the go-to place to race single seaters, where talent is the key to securing a seat, rather than a chequebook, as with Formula One.
The field keeps getting bigger, and with talent to boot.
"It you look at the teams that have expanded in the off-season, there are now 26 full-time entries this year," Dixon told the Weekend Herald.
"There are no small teams any more, there are no more bad team-driver combinations. It's stacked [with talent] all the way through the field now.
"The pointy end of the field has always been competitive but now there's so much more depth. If you miss it in qualifying, instead of being 10th or 12th, you're now back in 20th or more.
"It's a tough one for sure, but that's what makes these championships now so hard to win. Now, if you miss by a small margin, it makes things much harder [than in the past]."
