Jesse Dixon crowned Supercar Showdown Champion!
Published on 01 October 2012
Last year Jesse Dixon watched the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 from the sidelines of Mount Panorama. This year the 19-year old will view the Great Race from behind the wheel of a V8 supercar after he was crowned champion of the 2012 Shannons Supercar Showdown yesterday, Sunday, 30th September.
Dixon was the last driver standing in the sudden death competition, which saw 11 motorsport rookies from around Australia, New Zealand and America compete over 11 weeks for the ultimate prize in motorsport; a position on the starting grid of the Bathurst 1000.
The final ‘fastest time wins’ challenge saw the Queenslander execute a flawless run around the Winton racetrack, narrowly pipping Victorian Glen Wood and New Zealander Andre Heimgartner at the post.
Seven-time Bathurst 1000 Champion Jim Richards joined Kelly Racing team owners Rick and Todd Kelly in announcing Dixon as this year’s competition champion, and the new co-driver of the Kelly Racing prepared Shannons Bathurst entry.
Dixon was ecstatic. “Words cannot describe the emotions, I’ve won! I’m just over the moon. Bathurst, it’s a dream come true, you know I’ve been dreaming about racing Bathurst ever since I was a kid,” he said.
It was an emotional win for Dixon, who started karting when he was 13, following the death of his father.
“Towards the end of his illness my mum told me that she would help me get in to karting and after months and months of just no positivity, it put a smile on my face.
“This means everything to me, losing dad just before I started was really hard, to now be a V8 supercar driver racing at Bathurst, it’s something I’ve always dreamed about”.
Straightshooter Dixon made a name for himself in the competition as a focused, diligent, strategists who always went the extra mile. Kelly Racing co-owner Rick Kelly believes Dixon’s conscientious work ethic will put him in good stead for Bathurst.
"He puts so much effort in to this racing, you can see how it takes priority for Jesse over everything else. He's a young guy going to Bathurst for the very first time and it’s a very tough ask, so the work he's going to put in is really going to help him, if he remains focused he can go up there and do a fantastic job at Mount Panorama.”
Dixon will be co-driving Shannons carsales.com.au racing V8 Supercar with Series 1 Supercar Showdown winner Cameron Waters, after a back injury forced the show’s host, and original co-driver Grant Denyer to forfeit his position.
Watch Dixon and the whole Kelly Racing team take on Mount Panorama in this year’s 50th Anniversary Bathurst 1000. There will be no second chances as Dixon goes from ‘contestant’ to ‘V8 supercar driver’ on the stage of one of the largest sporting celebrations in Australia’s history.
The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 will be celebrating 50 years of Pure Awesome from October 4-7. Watch all the thrills and spills on Channel Seven.
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