Dixon far from done in IndyCars
Abuse horror
DON’T mention the R word to Scott Dixon.
Race wins, not retirement, remain the No1 thing the biggest star in Kiwi motorsport spends his time contemplating.
South Auckland-raised Dixon completed his 16th season at the top level of American Championship Car Racing in 2016, a period reaping four IndyCar title triumphs, 39 race victories and an Indianapolis 500 win.
In the words of the man himself, time flies when you’re having fun.
He also turned 36 this year. But while Dixon admits one is always thinking of the future in a year-toyear industry like motorsport, serious thoughts of retirement have not entered his mind.
‘‘There are a few key guys in the championship, in TK (Tony Kanaan), Helio (Castroneves) and Juan (Pablo Montoya), they all turned 42 this year,’’ the Indianapolis-based driver said.
‘‘And Dario (Franchitti) was 40 or 41 when he retired. They’ve helped the longevity.
‘‘I think I’ve got a good four, five or six years to play with but in motor racing that can change next year.
‘‘My focus is on what is at hand and the IndyCar series is the most competitive series in the world right now, I enjoy that competitive side.’’
Dixon has ‘‘a couple more years’’ left on his contract with Chip Ganassi Racing. Those deals ‘‘typically just re-up’’, and you get the feeling he is optimistic the same will be true again.
It is also evident Dixon has a few more boxes to tick before he finally calls time on his career.
A regular face on the sportscar scene during the IndyCar offseason, he has twice won the 24 Hours of Daytona and also taken part in other prestigious events like the Sebring 12 Hours and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The latter for the first time earlier this year, finishing third in class in the returning Ford GT on the 50th anniversary of the famous victory for fellow Kiwis Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon.
Ever the fierce competitor, though, Dixon would have loved to have been a couple of steps higher up the podium.
The same thought pattern applies for a 2016 IndyCar season where he ended up sixth with two wins and four total podiums from 16 events.
‘‘We definitely let a few get away,’’ Dixon said. ‘‘Those are the ones that hurt and you focus on more than anything.
‘‘If you generally look at the performance of [ my] No9 car throughout season it was very strong. We just had three or four races where we had mechanicals or strategy pitfalls that took us out of it and would have transformed our championship position.
‘‘It was definitely a frustrating one, with not so many highs and a lot of lows. For myself to finish out of the top three for the first time in 12 years was not good.’’
A trip home to comparatively sleepy New Zealand, though, is good for a frustrated race-car driver’s mood.
Capped by attending the Legends of Speed in Auckland on Friday, Dixon and his family have been back for the past two weeks. And they’ve jammed plenty in. Waiheke Island, Paihia, Waitomo Caves and Taupo – Dixon, his wife Emma and their two daughters, Poppy and Tilly, have made the most of their usually annual trip to this part of the world.
But it won’t be long before it is CARLOS HERRERA back to his day job. There are, after all, always more races to be won and titles to be secured.
And when there isn’t, for Dixon anyway, he hasn’t quite figured out what he will do.
‘‘Motor racing could quite easily fill the next 10 years of my life, beyond that I don’t know,’’ Dixon said.
‘‘. . . Right now I’m focusing purely on what’s in front of me.’’ Football: Four police forces are now investigating allegations of historical child sex abuse in soccer in the UK. The national inquiry into child sexual abuse said it was "watching events closely" and opened the door to examining allegations in the growing scandal as England captain Wayne Rooney urged anyone who may have been assaulted to seek help. He tweeted that "my colleagues have been very brave". A string of former footballers have come forward since Andy Woodward became the first to speak out last week about abuse he suffered at the hands of Barry Bennell, a former Crewe coach.