More engine headaches for Dixon as penalty looms

Like the rest of the IndyCar Series’ full-time entries, Scott Dixon’s No. 9 Honda had its first of the season’s four permitted engines installed for the final pre-season test of the year.

But unlike his rivals, the six-time champion’s zero-mile motor lasted one lap before it failed.

With IndyCar making no concessions for the timing of the breakage, Dixon arrived at the season opener in St. Petersburg with his second engine in the back of the No. 9 and used it through the fourth race of the year at Barber Motorsports Park. A fresh engine went in for last weekend’s Indianapolis Grand Prix — the third of the season — and it carried over into the opening practice days for the Indy 500.  

But on Wednesday, Dixon encountered a problem on his last run of the day which led to an engine change for use on Thursday’s action, when the New Zealander completed 92 laps on his fourth. Although there are no issues with the fourth, the team is installing Honda’s freshest powerplant for use during Fast Friday’s high-boost running, qualifying over the weekend, and the rest of the events running up to and through the Indy 500.

With the fifth 2.2-liter twin-turbo engine of the season heading into the No. 9, Dixon will serve a six-spot grid penalty after qualifying for the June 1 Detroit Grand Prix, and with 10 races left to run afterwards, he’ll need a sixth and likely a seventh motor — along with more grid penalties for those changes — to deal with over summer.

“Yeah, already on engine number five, so it's a pretty good going,” Dixon said. “Five races, five engines.”