Motorsport: Dixon hopes for better start to IndyCar season

The major change to the cars this year has been the introduction of manufacturer designed front and rear aero kits. Photo / Chris Owens

Kiwi driver says tuneability of new aero kits will make the cars much faster.

New Zealand IndyCar pilot Scott Dixon gets his 2015 campaign into gear this weekend at the opening round of the championship at St Petersburg, Florida.

The three-time IRL championship winner has been there, or there abouts, in the title race for the past eight years having not finished outside the top three, with his most recent championship coming in 2013.

Last year Dixon's Chip Ganassi Racing team switched from Honda engines to Chevy and the Kiwi struggled in the first part of the season. They came good in the second half after gaining more experience with the power plant and Dixon was soon winning races again.

"It seems to be ages since the last season, but I've been in and out of cars a lot [Daytona 24-Hour and Sebring 12-Hour] lately," said Dixon from St Petersburg.

"Testing has been good since New Orleans where we were quickest, and at Barber we were quickest both days so we are where we need to be.

"But of course none of it really counts until we get to these race weekends. We need to get our season off to a good start, unlike last year where we struggled in the first half.

"In the last two years we've finished the season really well. Last year we were the highest points scorers in the second half of the season.

"We've just got to get our stuff together from the start and we'll be looking good."

The major change to the cars this year has been the introduction of manufacturer designed front and rear aero kits. When the new car was introduced in 2012 it came with a "one-size-fits-all" aero package.

For 2015, teams have been able to fit aero kits designed to suit individual engines and drivers allowing for more scope when setting the car up.

"The Honda looks pretty cool and you don't really notice the Chevy one that much, it's a little more subtle. The new kits take away about 180kg of downforce, so the cars are going to be much faster.

"There's not a whole lot of difference from last year. They do go around corners faster, but as we don't have power steering it's going to make it a bit tougher in the cockpit.

"Saying that, with last year's DW12 kit we had maxed out with what we could get out of it to the stage if we wound the front up too much it would take away from the rear.

"For us guys who like a car more pointy and pro-active at the front end, having something that is more tuneable is great," said Dixon.

There's a lot of talent in the field this year with the usual suspects like Will Power, Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud, Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Raey all in the mix to challenge Dixon in his bid for a fourth title.

"I can't really worry about any one driver so will be concentrating on what I have to do. Penske are pretty stacked right now with four very good guys and they're the team we base ourselves against each year."

The opening round of the championship hasn't been the best of events for the Kiwi in recent years. This time though, he's brimming with confidence and wants to get his tilt at the title off to a good start.

"We've had an up-and-down time at St Pete's with podiums in the early days but have been around fifth and sixth in recent years. I think this weekend we can do a much better job than that and it's a place I would love to win at. That's the goal."

One thing that will become quite clear at the end of the race is who has matched the new aero kits the best to the existing car.