Indycar title defence is Dixon’s major motivator
Scott Dixon has done just about everything there is to do in Indycar racing but he’s motivated by a major challenge for his 2019 season.
Dixon has won five championships in a spectacular 18-year career in the United States but never been able to pull off back-toback titles and that’s his driving goal for the new year.
A sixth title would take the Kiwi to the doorstep of legendary AJ Foyt’s record seven titles.
The 38-year-old is bemused at why he’s never been able to defend a title but he’s determined to try to put that right.
‘‘Yeah, I’ve never gone back-toback so obviously I’ve got a problem with that. It’s something that’s obviously at the forefront of not just myself but the whole team. But yeah, it’s always difficult,’’ Dixon told Motorsport Week.
He conceded his task wouldn’t be any easier this year given the increasing evenness across the starting grid.
‘‘I think as everybody knows, just the competitiveness and how tough the competition is right now, there’s never one standout.
‘‘There’s four, five, six teams that have the possibility of winning with many drivers, so that’s what drives me every day of wanting to train harder, prepare better and obviously work with our partners to try and get a bit of a leg up.
‘‘It’s not going to be easy, but going into the season, we know that’s definitely the goal.’’
Dixon’s average finish in the championship standings in seasons after winning a title is just 5.5.
Dixon won his first title in 2003 but was 10th the following year, failing to win any races.
Dixon’s second title came in 2008 and he finished a close second
‘‘Yeah, I’ve never gone back-to-back so obviously I’ve got a problem with that. It’s something I need to figure out.’’ Scott Dixon
the following year. His third championship came in 2013 and he backed that up with a fourth the following year.
Dixon won his fourth championship in 2015 season but could manage only sixth the following year.
He’s now looking to end his backup bogey after claiming his fifth title in a dramatic seasonfinale in California last September.
Dixon will resist the urge to claim the No 1 on his race car as defending champions are allowed, preferring to stick with his No 9.
He put out a cheeky Instagram post showing his car’s new colours for 2019 and bearing the No 1 on its rear spoiler.
But he doesn’t plan to use it officially.
‘‘We’ll turn up to the official test with the No 9 on there,’’ Dixon said of Indycar training in mid-february in Austin, Texas.
The first event of the 2019 season starts at St Petersburg in Florida on March 11 (NZ time).
Indycar announced a new title at the Detroit Motor Show yesterday with Japanese telecommunications giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) unveiled.
They will also be the championship’s technology partner and there’s some good synergy for Dixon in the new deal.
NTT has been a partner with Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing since 2013, appearing on the cars of Dixon and Ed Jones in recent years as well as Felix Rosenqvist’s No 10 ride in 2019.
‘‘The enthusiasm and what they are going to be able to do with the app, all that is going to be very productive,’’ Dixon said at the announcement. Mick Schumacher, son of seventime Formula One champion Michael, has reportedly linked up with the Ferrari driver academy.
Schumacher, 19, will spend 2019 racing in Formula 2 – the final feeder category before F1 – with leading Italian team Prema.
The BBC has reported sources close to Ferrari have confirmed that the deal that will see Schumacher undertake two tests with the Ferrari F1 team this year.
His father won five of his seven championship crowns in the famous Ferrari colours.
Michael Schumacher, who turned 50 on January 3, has not been sighted publicly for more than five years.
He suffered severe brain injuries in a skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013 and was placed in an induced coma until June, 2014.
His family have kept his exact condition a closely guarded secret since his accident.
Ferrari have refused to officially confirm the deal with Schumacher but said they were talking to him and were interested in him joining the academy.
Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm has not responded to the BBC’S requests for comment.
Schumacher, who won the European Formula 3 championship in his second attempt in 2018, was present at the post-season F1 test with Ferrari in Abu Dhabi last November.
Charles Leclerc, who will partner Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari in 2019, is a graduate of the Ferrari academy as is new Sauber signing Antonio Giovinazzi.
But being a member of the Ferrari driver academy does not guarantee a drive in F1.