As a New Zealander with a interest in motor racing, I thought i better post about the recent Kiwi race driver Scott Dixon and his win in the Indianapolis 500. Dixon won yesterdays Indianapolis 500, after qualifying on pole position, (His qualifying speed was a massive 364.3km/h or 226.336mph) and became the first New Zealander to ever win it. In America, winning the Indianapolis 500 is ten times bigger than winning the Formula One world championship.
Dixon will pocket US$2.5 million after his potentially career-defining result. The total prize purse for the premier American sporting event is over US$13 million and will be split between the 33 drivers - only 21 of whom actually completed the race.
Dixon started the 500-mile (804km) event from pole position, and led 115 of the 200 laps to take home the iconic trophy. The 27-year-old recently said that a win at the Indy500 would mean more to him than winning the Indy Car championship again. As the race neared its end, the Team Chip Gnassi Racing driver had built a solid lead over Vitor Meira (who had put a stunning pass on Dixon on lap 159) in second place after retaking the lead from the Brazilian after a pit stop. With just four laps remaining, Vitor Meira had another run on Dixon, but as lap traffic came into play, the flying Kiwi proved untouchable, crossing the line 1.74 seconds in front with an average speed of 231km/h (143.567mph).
Dixon started the 500-mile (804km) event from pole position, and led 115 of the 200 laps to take home the iconic trophy. The 27-year-old recently said that a win at the Indy500 would mean more to him than winning the Indy Car championship again. As the race neared its end, the Team Chip Gnassi Racing driver had built a solid lead over Vitor Meira (who had put a stunning pass on Dixon on lap 159) in second place after retaking the lead from the Brazilian after a pit stop. With just four laps remaining, Vitor Meira had another run on Dixon, but as lap traffic came into play, the flying Kiwi proved untouchable, crossing the line 1.74 seconds in front with an average speed of 231km/h (143.567mph).
Dixon's best finish at the Brickyard was last year when he came second behind Brit Dario Franchitti, who also won the series.
