"I smiled a bit until I realised she wasn't joking. She told me I had too many speeding points to get an automatic renewal. I asked when, if I had to reschedule it, and she told me I could do it right now. 'Oh hell,' I thought. I didn't have a clue as it had been years since I'd done a driver's test or anything like that.
Scott Dixon
"I thought 'what the hell' and did it there and then. I have no idea how I passed, but I tell you I was sweating at the time."
You'll probably be thinking as a racecar driver, Scott has a garage full of exotic cars he wheels out when he's not racing, blitzing his neighbourhood on the way to the supermarket to get the milk.
• Read more Eric Thompson interviews wife of Scott, Emma Dixon
• For more car news go to nzherald.co.nz/driven
Nothing could be further from the truth. Despite the speeding tickets, the Kiwi does his racing on the track and regards driving on the road as simply getting from A to B and back again. Sure, for your average motorist, driving an upmarket European crossover SUV is sort of at the top end of car luxury, but just think about what he could be thundering around in if he really wanted to.
"To and from the track I drive a sponsor's product a Chevy Tahoe [large SUV], and Emma, being British, has a Range Rover, while the family car is an Audi Q7.
"I went through the sportscar phase, but nothing like my teammates who have all sorts of crazy cars. I had an Audi R8 for literally two weeks, then a BMW M5 for a couple of months.
Scott Dixon racing in the IndyCar series
"I see those cars on the public [roads] as sort of a waste of money. A fast car on the road is so far removed from a racecar so there's no point really. If you're driving to and from places, it's just a matter of getting there.
"I like the big cruiser type of thing. I've driven Ferraris and all sorts of things but nothing's really knocked my socks off. At some stage though, I'd like to get hold of a 1967 Mustang like the one in the film Gone in 60 Seconds. I can see myself further down the road in an old school muscle car, I reckon."
Now that we've established Scott is happy to wait until he's got a bit more time on his hands to indulge in something special, there is something he does have in common with most professional racers. He likes to be in command of the family car if he happens to be in it.
It's not that he feels his wife of six years is a bad driver, it's just that - well, we'll let him explain.
"Emma can be similar to most women with directions so I'd rather take the wheel and get the situation done. I'm choosing my words wisely here as she's sitting next to me," chuckled Scott.
Scott Dixon with his wife, Emma.
"When Emma's driving, I try not to be a back-seat driver but I do give my lending hand now and again with sage advice."
Scott and Emma have two girls, Poppy, 5, and Tilly, 3, and while they're both young Poppy at least has a rough idea what her dad does. She tells her friends at school he drives cars for a job.
It wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility that a few of her school friends think Scott's a taxi driver or something. If so, he'd be the world's fastest cab driver and just the bloke you'd need to get to the airport on time. On a more sensible note though, having children may just play on his mind as he straps himself into his IndyCar.
"Poppy understands what I do but Tilly's a bit young yet. It's difficult to know just how much they know yet. Sometimes though, when we're in the park, Poppy will just blurt out and tell strangers what I do, which can be a bit embarrassing.
"Poppy loves it when we go to the track and seems to enjoy race days. I don't believe it changes you in any way [having children and racing]. You concentrate on what's immediately in front of you and instinct kicks in where there's no time to think about anything else. I've always told Chip [Ganassi, team owner] that I had to race harder after having kids because I have more mouths to feed."
Scott is on a flying visit and as well as being at the Big Boys Toys event for a Q&A session on Saturday, he is also the guest of honour at a charity lunch for CanTeen on Friday.
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