Kiwi Indycar driver and Manurewa product Scott Dixon will start from second in next week’s Indianapolis 500 after he was pipped to pole by American Marco Andretti.
The current series leader and five-time Indycar champion set a blistering Fast Nine time over his four laps of the famous Brickyard circuit and looked set for pole until Andretti set out on the last run of the day.
Andretti – grandson of Formula 1 champion Mario Andretti – was just the second driver behind Dixon to break the 231mph barrier over their four-lap average
In the end he edged the Kiwi by just 0.017mph to hand the legendary Andretti family their first Indianapolis 500 pole since Mario achieved the feat in 1987.
“He deserves it,” said the humble Dixon. “I know what this place means to his family and especially him.
“He did a good job even under this pressure to make it work. If anyone was going to do it, I hoped it was Marco.”
Dixon has started the Indianapolis 500 on pole three times and has won the race once – in 2008.
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