Scott Dixon on TV.

[Kiwifan]

I don't know if this has been mentioned before but Scott was on TV a few days ago talking about the Indy 500. He spoke of his injury (wrist) and said he would be able to race come race-day. He said he didn't want to go to the IRL but surprisingly (his words) he was having a lot of fun but ultimately, as he is a road racer he wants to go back to a series that turns right.

Given the fact that I have been a Dixon fan from his days as a kid here in NZ, purchased his Team gear, spoken with his Mum and NZ mentor (it's a small country! :) ) it's fair to say I was gutted when I heard he was off to the IRL last year. Unlike some other drivers I haven't heard him bag CART and I believe he had a contract that couldn't be broken. Still, I was surprised to hear him say he was having so much fun this year.

Is it we the fans who are more obsessed with the split than the drivers and crew? Notice I didn't include the owners who I believe are doing it for themselves! :mad: Grrr, I have lost so much respect for some of those former CART owners. I'm not suggesting we forgive anything that TG has done, far from it. I believe he has wrecked OW racing in the States but do we read more into things than we should? 'Bird, Lizzerd, help me out here, I'm a bit confused. You guys know, right?

Cheers, Rusty.

PS. Just in-case you think I'm wavering on Scott's say so, I'm not! FTG and those IRL are still butt ugly. Sorry Scott but they are.

[Lizzerd]

Rusty,

No, I don't have the low down on Scott. I've only spoken with him briefly last year at Road America. A friend of mine who does know Scott (sort of, I guess... they go to the same little pub from time to time) told me pretty much what you heard him say. He wants to turn right again.

[Kiwifan]

Thanks Lizzerd, you made my day.;) I guess I was just a little down with all this Indy 'carp', even down here. The TV and papers are full of it, "the Worlds Greatest Race". Indeed. :(

Rusty.

[RaceChic]

Hey Rusty.
I know the same person that Lizzerd is speaking of. He also spent a fair bit of time with his crew prior to all decisions being final about who ended up where. Scott had done everything possible to prevent going to the IRL. His crew wasn't thrilled either. I have a hunch he'll return. All of this being third party info, but we'll see. And hope...... I'd be feeling the same if PT or Carpentier went to the IRL. :) :) :)

[Kiwifan]

PC or PT to the IRL? (shudder) That doesn't bare thinking about does it? :) Imagine ol' PT with the Indy brigade. ;) It would be a laugh if nothing else. If he thinks Chris Kneiffel is a clown what must he think of the top brass at IMS?

Cheers, Rusty.

[DaveL]

Dixon is also proving, along with Dan Wheldon, that Indy is no more difficult than any other flat oval. Any pedigree road racer can hop into a decently prepared car and lap Indy fast like *that* (snapped my fingers).

[Railbird]

I've spoken with Scott a few times. Once each at Indy and Cleveland while he was in uniform and ready to go, very focused and tight lipped.

Once in a bar that he had just escorted a couple young ladies into, very engaging and talkative.


IMO, Scott is a wild child behind the wheel who is more than willing to mix it up anywhere that he has a chance to win.

Do some of the internet fans take this whole split thing more to heart than the folks making a living in American racing?

IMO yes, to the tenth degree.

[Kate]

Some of us do think that selling yourself for an establishment is wrong, whether it is marrying for money or sidelining your career into a backwater to get a cheque. But people do both all the time.

Of course people drive drunk all the time, but that doesn't mean we have to accept it, much less approve it.

I think Scott is being prudent in not burning his boats as some of his fellow deserters have done. And I happen to know that enormous pressure was placed on Bruno to desert, too, and he managed to resist it and find a good drive in CWS. Scott could have done the same, I am sure.