There were mixed fortunes for Kiwi drivers Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin in the latest virtual IndyCar Eseries event at Twin Ring Motegi on Sunday (NZ time).
Dixon did enough to secure his first podium of the season, finishing second behind Frenchman Simon Pagenaud, who won his second consecutive virtual race.
But the outcome could have been very different if McLaughlin didn't crash out with 10 laps remaining.
McLaughlin and Aussie Will Power were jostling for the lead when the pair were hit by lapped driver Oliver Askew.
Power and McLaughlin collided with each other, triggered a spectacular crash for McLaughlin, while Power soldiered on with a damaged front wing to finish third.
Amongst the chaos, Pagenaut, the 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner, took the lead and held off Dixon for victory.
Next weeks race takes place at the Circuit of the Americas, before the series finale on May 2 at a non-IndyCar dream track.
