Scott Dixon is to New Zealand motorsport what Richie McCaw is to rugby.
That's the view of four-time Bathurst champion Greg Murphy, who believes the 38-year-old's IndyCar feats have ascended him to the top of the Mount Rushmore of Kiwi greats.
Dixon has never achieved a lifelong dream of racing in Formula One, such as other Kiwi greats Chris Amon, Bruce McLaren and former world champion Dennis Hulme, but Murphy believes that shouldn't detract from what he has accomplished stateside.
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Speaking to RadioLIVE, Murphy said Dixon had set himself apart from those who have come before him with longevity in competing at the top end of the field in the world's most competitive open-wheel category.
"He was always a kid that had something in him that managed to get a car around a race track faster than anyone else," Murphy told Sunday Sport's Andrew Gourdie and Jim Kayes.
"He has found his niche. He is extremely professional, gifted, his work ethic is clearly huge and [he's a] decent human being to boot, who has achieved such amazing things."
Dixon completed his fifth championship title win last week at Sonoma, moving within two of American motorsport legend AJ Foyt on the all-time IndyCar series win list.
While Murphy acknowledged that Formula One was the pinnacle of world motorsport, it had become stale and boring, with only two teams - Mercedes and Ferrari - realistically holding out hope of championship glory.
Murphy told Sunday Sport that winning IndyCar races was a far more difficult task than that faced by the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.
"Formula One is the pinnacle of the sport, but it is also a little bit cynical and hard to reach," he said.
"Success at that level is incredibly hard, because you have to be in the right team to be competitive, as shown by Mercedes winning the last four world championships.
"Formula One has lost its way with rules and regulations, and if you are not part of the two top teams, you aren't going to win anything. It needs to be more competitive and you need more people capable of winning races, where it comes down to the driver more than the machinery.
"In IndyCar, the cars are very similar. The chassis are the same and the engines are very similar.
"The tools are essentially controlled, where in Formula One, they are not. Money wins in Formula One and Lewis Hamilton pretty much wins everything - and when he doesn't, Sebastian Vettel does.
"IndyCar, you have different disciplines. You have long ovals, short ovals, street circuits and road circuits - and everyone has the same equipment.
"You are racing against people who have essentially got the same thing underneath them as you. In Formula One, that is simply not the case."
Murphy believes that Dixon is a role model, not just for motorsport fans, but Kiwi sports fans in general.
The 1994 New Zealand Grand Prix winner told RadioLIVE that Dixon was the definition of how to succeed in your chosen sport.
"Scott makes a difference, because of who he is and not what he is driving," Murphy said.
"Sheer natural talent will get you a certain distance, but there is always that case where someone will come along who might not have the same natural talent, but a harder work ethic and I think that's where Dixon sits.
"For me, to be a champion and the complete driver IndyCar requires, it needs to be recognised for what it is and that's why I safely say he is the Richie McCaw of Motorsport in New Zealand."
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