Scott Dixon’s engineer reveals the secrets to Kiwi IndyCar champion’s success

Dixon and Simmons

Scott Dixon's engineer has opened up on the secrets to the winning ways of New Zealand's IndyCar star.

Chris Simmons has helped mastermind two of Dixon's five IndyCar titles and will again be at his side for the championship defense when the 2019 series starts next month.

It's not all about speed, with Simmons dishing out praise for Dixon's race strategy and car management over IndyCar's wide variety of tracks.

Simmons admits Dixon isn't always the fastest driver over a single lap, but his race pace and fuel preservation keep him near or at the front of the pack.

Simmons teamed with Dixon in 2015 and struck immediate success with a title run for their Chip Ganassi team. They have paired for nine race wins and consistency has been a trademark.

Last season Dixon finished in the top six in 15 of the 17 races, hauling in regular points to claim his fifth title and leave him second only to the great AJ Foyt's seven championships.

"Scott in particular is really good in the races," Simmons told IndyCar.com.

Emma Davies-Dixon often thinks about the dangers of IndyCar racing but doesn't talk to husband Scott about it as much as she would like.

"He's so calm and has a very easy time adapting his style to what the car needs as the tires degrade, as the racetrack changes, as the traffic changes, and that's probably what makes him more successful than anything."

Dixon enjoys his synergy with Simmons, a former Indy Lights race driver who isn't shy to show his emotions.

"With Chris, the funny thing is, you know immediately when he's not happy," Dixon said.

"He doesn't hide that stuff well, so I think that goes a long way and I think his rawness is good. It's much similar to Chip's rawness, too, where if you're doing something that they don't think is right or they think you can do better, then you immediately know."

"I think, especially in our game, it's a race against time. That needs to happen, but I think Chris and I have a very good understanding. It's always nice to work with an engineer that has a racing background to help understand the things that are maybe unique to what a car does."

Simmons said there had been little time to dwell on Dixon's latest title and he had been working on ways to maximize the car for the new campaign.

"It doesn't take too long after the last race is over to start thinking about the new season and kick off the projects that probably you've already been thinking about during the season to make the cars faster and more reliable and to get more points than all of our competitors."

The first race of the 2019 season is the Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg in Florida on March 11 (NZT). Stuff.co.nz