The New Zealand motorsport community is mourning the recent loss of Ron Dixon, father of legendary Kiwi IndyCar driver Scott Dixon.
Ron Dixon, along with ex-wife Glenys, was an avid motorsport enthusiast, a former competitor, and also previously owned a dirt Speedway in Townsville. He was also an original member of the Northland Car Club and maintained varying levels of involvement in the sport over time.
The family spent a decade living in Australia, where Scott was born in 1980, before returning to New Zealand after Ron was involved in a severe accident.
“Dad raced a bit of everything, whether it was rally cars or circuit racing,” Scott Dixon said in a 2021 interview with Fox 2 News.
“My earliest memories were when they owned a track in Townsville, and my mum would do some of the races there as well.
“Then, moving back to New Zealand was when I got my first taste of racing go-karts.
“It was definitely a family atmosphere that we would do every weekend, and still, to this day, they are some of the happiest memories I have.”
With support from Ken Smith, Scott branched out to explore the Australian scene in the late 90s before venturing to the United States in 1998, with the financial help of a group of investors, including Sir Colin Giltrap, a move which has since snowballed into the Kiwi becoming one of the most successful racing drivers in the sport’s history.
In recent years, Ron was estranged from Scott; however, he remained a very proud father to the end.
“I was yelling and jumping up and down, he was yelling too, going ‘we did it, we did it!’ – it was just an unbelievable feeling. I am very, very proud – it’s just an incredible thing,” he told the NZ Herald following Scott Dixon’s Indy 500 win in 2008.
Scott Dixon is expected to arrive in New Zealand today ahead of a family memorial service on Friday.
The post Ron Dixon mourned by motorsport community after passing away appeared first on NZ Autocar.