Scott Dixon wins Indianapolis 500

While Formula One attracts the greatest international attention, the Indianapolis (or ‘Indy’) 500 has been rated by motorsport enthusiasts as one of the three most significant races in the world, alongside the Le Mans 24-Hour Race and the Monaco Grand Prix.

In recent years the race has been part of the lucrative Indy Racing League, which Scott Dixon won in his debut season of 2003. His victory at the Brickyard in 2008, the first Indianapolis 500 win by a New Zealander, helped him secure his second championship. This achievement saw him recognised at the 2008 Halberg awards as New Zealand Sportsman of the Year, an award he would receive again in 2013.

One television list of New Zealand sports’ greatest moments rated Dixon’s Indianapolis victory as number 40 out of 100. By the time he won his sixth IndyCar title in 2020, Dixon had won 50 IndyCar races and was third on the all-time list.

He was appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009 and promoted to Companion in 2019. A documentary film, Born racer: the Scott Dixon story, was released in 2018.