IRL turns deaf ear to blocking charges
Dixon, the well-mannered IndyCar Series driver from New Zealand, knows the peace and quiet won't last long today, as practice gets underway for Sunday's Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, which returns to the city after a six-year absence. He also knows it's only a matter of time before he and the Andretti Green Racing quartet go wheel-to-wheel in what could end up being the Battle of Motor City, with no prisoners taken.
Dixon, who drives for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, is the Indy Racing League series points leader. He's four points clear of AGR's Dario Franchitti and 62 in front of Franchitti teammate Tony Kanaan, who may play the villain again this weekend on Belle Isle.
Sunday at Sonoma, Kanaan appeared to relish the role of bodyguard for Franchitti, making his car very wide and hard to pass. At the post-race conference, Dixon, who wound up winning the race, thought Kanaan was riding shotgun for Franchitti.
"Today was very frustrating having to deal with T.K. (Tony Kanaan) a lot," said Dixon, the 2003 IRL champion. "He was not playing fair at all. We were all warned in the drivers meetings about team tactics. I think the IRL maybe was watching another race because it was definitely going on."
Toward the end of the race, AGR teammates Marco Andretti and Franchitti made contact, Franchitti suffering damage to his left-front wing. Franchitti, the 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner, still managed third place but gave up the series' lead to Dixon.
"It was kind of ironic when, you know, Marco and Dario hit each other," Dixon said later.
Dixon said Thursday he expected much of the same team tactics from AGR at Belle Isle.
"Absolutely," said Dixon after the GP's official kickoff press conference and luncheon at the DYC. "I know it's going to happen. No one ever gets penalized for it, the blocking tactics." More at Detroit Free Press