Scott Dixon believes he has another five years of IndyCar racing in him and has expressed a desire to race Bathurst beyond that.
The 35-year-old New Zealander is still basking in the glory of his fourth IndyCar series title.
He believes he has more success in him with a second Indy 500 title a driving force as he eyes a 15th year with his Chip Ganassi Racing team.
Dixon has been on a promotional visit to Canada and spoke to theToronto Star about his season and his goals.
Asked if there was a significant number in his life, a fifth title or a birthday, that might get him to reconsider his future, Dixon was cautious about putting any deadlines on his driving position in the American single-seater series where he has been such a powerful force, securing 25 poles and 37 wins.
“There are two ways to look at it. I set goals for the next year and they’re always the same — to win the Indy 500 and to win the championship,” Dixon said.
“Beyond that, you look at your fellow competitors. You look at Juan, you look at Helio (Castroneves), you look at T.K. (Tony Kanaan). All of them are turning 40 or 41 this year. I just turned 35 and I’m gauging it kind of off them.
“I think right now I’ll probably go for another five years. I also think it’s different for everybody. It’s hard to tell right now.
“I think when I get to 40 there will be — not so much a defining point but an evaluation to say, ‘Hey, am I still competitive?’ If I ever feel that I’m not competitive, then that’s when I’ll stop. Luckily for drivers, there’s a wide range of other things to do. There’s sports cars . . .”
Dixon admitted the career-ending injury to his long-time team mate Dario Franchitti was also influential.
Franchitti had been eyeing an IndyCar retirement at the age of 40 and then perusing other driving options. But a 2013 crash that resulted in back, ankle and head injuries made that decision for him. Franchitti remains involved in the team as a racing director, something Dixon admits has appeal.
“I think with Dario — it wasn’t his decision to quit, it was made for him — his position in our team is a very attractive option. You’re still very heavily involved, you’re with a lot of great talent, it’s still very inspiring and you’ve still a chance to be a part of winning championships. All of those things are very important,” Dixon said.
“I think a situation like that is best case. But outside of that, I’m not really sure. I mean, with Dario, he was going to be through with IndyCar but moving on to sports cars. But because of what happened, he was forced into retirement and didn’t get to fulfil the second part.
“Ideally for me, I would love to race Bathurst, I’d love to race Le Mans, more Sebring, more Daytona 24 hours.
“It’s hard to know where the formulas are going around the world but I think in three or four years there’ll be a much better map of what’s happening and for me that would be my next goal after Indy car racing.”
