Scott Dixon mentoring Sage Karam

Karam needs a mentor like Dixon

Racers are never obligated to like, help or even speak to their teammates. But during a recent day off, Scott Dixon took time to help a teammate — who someday could become a rival — prepare for the Indianapolis 500.

Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 champion, stopped by Indianapolis Motor Speedway to help 19-year-old rookie Sage Karam prepare for his rookie orientation, the first step toward competing in the race. The car malfunctioned, forcing Karam to postpone completion of the rookie test until Sunday, but Dixon's gesture ingratiated him to Karam and the rest of his Chip Ganassi Racing teammates.

"Being 19 and having a guy of Scott's stature to help is amazing," Karam told USA TODAY Sports. "Scott wants to help out off the track. He wants to help me prepare mentally. He doesn't have to do that, but he wants to, so I'm going to be a giant sponge this whole month. It's almost like going back to school for me."

Now that the Grand Prix of Indianapolis — the first Verizon IndyCar Series race on the IMS infield oval — is complete, attention turns to the 98th Indianapolis 500 on May 25. Karam didn't compete in the GP; Dixon finished 15th.

After completing the final phase of the three-phase rookie orientation Sunday, Karam began practicing for the race, turning 77 laps with a fast lap of 217.310 mph. Karam ran 64 laps on Monday, achieving 220.543 mph on his fastest lap of the six-hour session.

Dixon and teammates Tony Kanaan, Ryan Briscoe and Charlie Kimball will continue to help Karam as practice continues today through Friday. Pole qualifying is Saturday and Sunday.

The goal isn't necessarily to help Karam with speed, but rather with race craft — understanding the entire picture, like learning to save fuel and tires, patience, pit stops, in and out laps, and avoiding difficult situations.

Three-time and reigning IndyCar champion Dixon knows what it feels like to be a teenager facing an important race. At 13, he was granted a special license to compete in professional races in Australia and his native New Zealand. By the time he was 20, Dixon was in CART, a shy, quiet rookie with obvious talent but limited experience.

"Sage is a quick learner, but he's quiet," Dixon told USA TODAY Sports. "I was the same when I first started. For a young guy, sometimes the toughest part is when you're inexperienced and you're lobbed in with a group of really good racers. It can be quite daunting."

Mike Hull, Dixon's boss since he first joined Target Chip Ganassi Racing in 2002, reiterated the notion that Dixon — or his teammates and recently retired Dario Franchitti, now a consultant for the team — aren't required to mentor Karam. Instead they do it because they want the team to benefit.

"It's a calming influence to know that your best drivers want to help their younger teammates," Hull, the team's managing director, told USA TODAY Sports. "Scott certainly gives back and knows how important it is to give back. Sage had an opportunity to race with Scott and Tony (Kanaan) during the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January. Their relationship was good before that, but the relationship has strengthened from there."

Before that 24-hour sports car race, Karam impressed the team with his speed and car control on a track he hadn't driven before. On his first practice lap, he passed Kanaan, who was driving the team's other car. It was a feat Karam paid for by buying dinner later that evening.

"The hard thing now is that rookies are getting it rough in this day and age," said Dixon, now 33. "I came in at a time when you could test a lot and you didn't have restrictions on tires and other things. It's a lot for a young driver to learn without the track time to learn it. He's a good talent, but he's very young. He's being thrown into the deep end at the biggest race of the year."

Dixon is in the prime of his career. Karam climbed the final step of the ladder into the IndyCar Series by winning the Indy Lights championship last year.

"I didn't really know (Scott) too well before this year," Karam said. "When he found out I was joining the team, he contacted me on Twitter and wanted to help me. He wants to be my mentor, and that means a lot to me. He's very straightforward. He loves competition, and he wants everybody to be at his level. He shares everything and is very open with me. It says a lot about his character."

Beyond knowing what it's like to be a teenage prodigy, Dixon knows what it's like to be mentored. When he first arrived in CART with PacWest Racing in 2001, Dixon, mentored by former Formula One driver Mauricio Gugelmin, won a race at Nazareth, Pa., and was named rookie of the year.

Thanks to Gugelmin's gesture, Dixon recognizes the importance of the assist.

"He's not doing it to gain credit," Hull said. "There are a lot of things he does that nobody ever sees. He gives back, and he does it just to give back. It has nothing to do with trying to enhance his brand or bettering his image or improving his career. It's just who Scott is." USA Today