Smack in rear can't shunt Dixon too far off lead pace

THE weekend did not go as planned for Scott Dixon when the Indycar series descended on Long Beach California.

Historically, Dixon has struggled for results on the concrete walled street circuit since taking his surprise win at the start of his 2000 season in Indy Lights and eventually claiming the title.

Looking as though he would probably join his teammate Dario Franchitti on the front row for the race, a spin on his final lap in qualifying precipitated another driver crashing into a tyre wall, resulting in the session being red-flagged and ending prematurely.

Because of the Indycar regulations, Dixon was forced to lose his two fastest lap times from the session, which left him to start the race at the back of the grid.

Mixed in with slower, less-experienced drivers, Dixon wound up being spun from behind, causing a puncture and an unscheduled pitstop leaving him down a lap from the leaders.

But Dixon and his Ganassi team are tenacious and he eventually reclaimed much ground to finish in a relatively strong 11th place, maintaining a creditable third position in the series after three rounds.

The irony of the race was the fact that Japanese driver Takumo Sato took his first win of the series on such a treacherous circuit.

Sato has long established himself a reputation of being involved or causing more than his fair share of crashes in his racing career, which includes a stint in Formula One. He entered Indycar after being dropped by his F1 team.

With Dixon placed just four points behind Sato in the standings, the Kiwi should move past quickly to then challenge first-placed driver Helio Castroneves by closing their 10-point gap.

The Whangarei Kart Club has always appeared an extremely family oriented facility, a place where all Northlanders and their whanau are welcome to participate in the racing, or just go along to watch the fun.

On that note, congratulations have to be offered to not one but five members of the club who are soon to experience an addition to their family in the form of a baby.

Well done, guys, bet you can't wait to see them climb into their first helmets, suits and karts in a few years.