Scott Dixon

Early racing career[edit]

Aged seven, Dixon began racing go-karts after watching his cousins race at Auckland's Mt. Wellington oval kart track and tried karting following the conclusion of a raceday.^[9][10][11] He was encouraged by his parents to pursue a racing career,^[2] and was first put into a midget car with a Ironhorse engine at age eight.^[1] Dixon was influenced by the success of New Zealand drivers Chris Amon, Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren.^[11] Over the next six years, Dixon parents purchased additional equipment depending on circumstances and Dixon's increase in achievements.^[1] His father worked long hours importing Omega karts and cars from Japan,^[1][2][12] to finance his son's endeavours and borrowed so much money he did not inform his wife about all of it.^[12] During the following five years, Dixon won 30 major Australian and New Zealand-based karting championships in his age group,^[1][6][13] including the 1992 New Zealand Junior Restricted Championship.^[5]


Aged 13, he began car racing, earning dispensation from Motorsport NZ to obtain a junior competition licence to enter club and national level events in categories up to Formula Ford after lobbying by his parents.^{[a][6][13][15][16]} Dixon took the 1994 New Zealand Formula Vee Championship at his first attempt to become its youngest champion;^[1] He was second in the 1994 New Zealand Formula Class II Championship,^[4] and drove the 1994 NZRDC Formula Ford Winter Series.^[15] Dixon rolled a Nissan Sentra saloon car onto its roof during a race at Pukekohe Park Raceway, capturing national attention when footage showed him struggling from the upturned car with a cushion strapped to his back to reach the pedals.^[1] For the 1995–1996 season, he drove a 1600cc light, low-downforce pushrod open-wheel car in the higher-tier New Zealand Formula Ford Class II Championship,^[1][16] winning the category title with 13 victories in 14 events.^[6] Dixon's family moved him to the primary Formula Ford class in a 1992 Swift car, securing the 1996–1997 title with 8 wins from 15 starts.^[1][15]


With no help from Motorsport NZ, Dixon's family approached open-wheel racer Ken Smith, who became Dixon's manager and mentor in their plan to send him to the Australian Drivers' Championship's Formula Holden class. Dixon got race-by-race funding from sponsors and individuals as his family and a small group of local sponsors lost funding.^[1][16] He finished the 14-race series third in the under-powered 1991 Ralt Australia Reynard 91D–Holden car,^[1][17] and was named Rookie of the Year.^[b][6] Dixon initially found it difficult to communicate with team owner Graham Watson because he was not a family member; his school recommended he stop schooling due to his good academic performance and focus on racing.^[1]


To fund his 1998 campaign, investors formed the Scott Dixon Motor Sport (SDMS) company to raise enough money to support Dixon's career until a top-team signed him,^[c][20] and allowed him to be paid a salary. He was not allowed to access the Australian Institute of Sport for fitness and media training since he was not an Australian citizen.^[1] Driving the 1992 SH Racing Reynard 92D–Holden car in the 12-round series,^[17] Dixon achieved five wins, five second-places and seven pole positions to claim the Australian Gold Star Drivers' Championship,^[16][21] after a season-long duel with future V8 Supercars racer Todd Kelly.^[1] He also finished second in the New Zealand Grand Prix.^[22]


In late 1998, he moved to the United States and entered the Championship Auto Racing Teams' (CART) developmental series Indy Lights, hoping to reach Formula One (F1) because SDMS could not afford the more expensive European series such as British Formula 3 with Alan Docking Racing.^[1][11] SDMS approached Tasman Motorsports owner Steve Horne but was unable to secure enough sponsorship for Dixon to drive for the team, so Dixon was tested by Johansson Motorsports owner Stefan Johansson at Sebring International Raceway in Florida. Dixon raced for the team in the 1999 season after legal negotiations with SDMS and additional sponsorship funding.^[1][21][19] He underwent intensive training in a weighted helmet to strengthen his neck muscles to combat g-forces.^[d][22] Dixon finished fifth in the drivers' championship in a Lola T97/20-Buick car, with one victory and four top-five finishes, and was second to Jonny Kane in the Rookie of the Year standings.^[4] In October 1999, he tested a Formula 3000 car for the Gauloises Junior Team in France,^[24] and two months later, finished second in the New Zealand Grand Prix.^[25]


After Smith left Dixon's management team post-season, Johansson became Dixon's manager, deciding if Dixon could not progress to CART in the 2001 season, Dixon would join another team. After seeing Dixon compete in Australia, media manager Brett Murray encouraged PacWest Racing's (PWR) Indy Lights development squad to employ him for the 2000 championship.^[1] Dixon accepted following SDMS' decision not to engage in direct contract talks that were done through driver Tony Renna,^[1][19] finalising a five-year contract with 15 days minimum testing with its CART team in April 2000.^[26][27] He won the title with 155 points, six victories and eight top-four finishes, becoming the series' second-youngest title winner behind Greg Moore.^[4]