Motorsport: Dixon focused despite mistakes

Mistakes happen, says New Zealand driver Scott Dixon, and he's not letting a fuel miscalculation in qualifying distract him ahead of the 100th anniversary edition of the Indianapolis 500 next Sunday.

Canada's Alex Tagliani edged Dixon for pole position after Dixon ran out of fuel in today's time trials at the 4km Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.

Tagliani, a 38-year-old Quebec racer forced to assemble his own team on a shoestring budget, completed the fastest four-lap qualifying average at 366.0km/h.

Dixon, who won the Indy 500 from the pole in 2008, settled for second-best at 365.79km/h after running out of fuel in the fourth turn.

"To come so close to the pole and not quite get it was a bit frustrating," Dixon told NZPA today.

"I think that cost us the pole. I had 227.5sec across the board for the three laps to start with. I headed into four, ran out of gas and that cost me nine-tenths of a mile an hour on that last lap.

"It would have been damn close if we had finished

that last lap."

Dixon said possibly as little as a quarter or half a gallon more fuel would have been enough to see him through: "It was pretty close."

A similar mishap befell Dixon's teammate, defending Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti. The Scotsman ran out of fuel at the start of his final qualifying lap in the pole shootout, settling for a ninth-place starting spot.

"I lost the pole due to it but Dario lost more than I did; he lost six positions," Dixon said.

"It's frustrating, but it goes back to that saying, 'that's racing'.

"Mistakes happen. I made a mistake qualifying earlier this morning when I almost spun and had to lift in turn three.

"It took a long time for my car to build its speed back up."

Dixon was happy with his car's speed, but was hoping to have a little more work done on its balance ahead of next Sunday's race.

He also paid tribute to Tagliani's feat in bumping him off the pole in the day's last run after setting the early qualifying pace.

"Alex did a fantastic job with a team that was put together just a few years ago, and to see them so strong and take the pole, I feel real happy for him and what he has achieved."

- NZPA