Dan's double whammy
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ByEurosport
Published 26/09/2005 at 08:41 GMT
Britain's Dan Wheldon was crowned Indycar's 2005 series champion at Watkins Glen on Sunday becoming the first driver to win both the Indy 500 and the Series Championship in the same season. The 27 year- old wrapped up the championship with one race left
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Although Scott Dixon won a long awaited race in the Finger Lakes region (Dixon hadn't won a race since June 2003), Wheldon only had to turn out for the race for the title to be his after a record six series wins already in the bag.
Not being one to just turn up Wheldon finished fifth, but was aiming higher.
"I'm not the kind of guy who is going to come to a racetrack and take it easy," he said. "I was racing to win ."
"I think for me the nicest thing is I'm going to be able to sleep now...Having won it is a big weight lifted off my shoulders ," the Andretti Green Racing driver told reporters after the race.
The thrilled twenty-seven year-old had already reached a personal goal by winning the Indianapolis 500 four months prior to the championship title.
"I'm ecstatic, to tell you the truth. I came in this year focused on winning the Indy 500. After achieving the dream of winning that, you somewhat feel greedy trying to go for the championship. Obviously, you're going to go for it, there's no doubt about it".
Wheldon never doubted his capacity as a driver, however the thought of the elusive double whammy seemed out of reach so early on in his career.
"To win both in the same year I think it's an unbelievable achievement. I thought I might be capable of doing it in my career, but I didn't think I'd be able to do it this quick."
Race winner Dixon can now finally put some worries behind him as the 2003 champion came home in first place to end a 40-race barren stretch.
The New-Zealand born driver hadn't claimed victory since June 2003, and demonstrated his delight by giving the fans a thrill and doing a few donuts on the track.
Stepping up to the press conference the moderator joked " Long time no see" to which Dixon responded with laughter "It's getting old that one."
He added, "You almost think that it's never going to come back, that you're never going to get a chance to win".
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