New backer for Dixon in Texas.

Leading CART rookie Scott Dixon will have the backing of a new sponsor as the Champcar series heads for Texas and the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston this weekend.

Dixon enters the street race on the back of an eleventh points-paying result in the past 14 races, after a finish of ninth at the German 500, and is favourite to land the Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year award, a statistic that has helped the Kiwi, and his PacWest team to pick up the backing of the Enron Corporation..

"The weekend is very important from a sponsorship standpoint," Dixon admits, "The Enron Corporation has signed on to be the primary sponsor on my car this weekend, so I really want to put on a good show for them since they are headquartered in Houston and maintain such a high profile in the city.

"Because of Enron's involvement with us this weekend, we will also proudly display United Way and Houston Astros signage on the #18 car. Enron will have a lot of employees and guests in attendance, so I plan on representing them well and hopefully we can continue our relationship with them in 2002 and for years to come."

The reigning Indy Lights champion has already notched up one victory, five top five, and nine top ten finishes in his rookie season, but will be making his first visit to Houston in a Champcar, having suffered a disappointing race last time out at the new Rockingham oval in England.

"We're coming off a pretty difficult two weeks in Europe, so this final stretch of races, beginning with Houston, will prove to be very important to us for several reasons," he said, "We definitely need a good showing in Houston to strengthen our position for a final run at the championship, but I would also like to maintain my hold on Rookie of the Year, which I think would be a great accomplishment for my team and me if we can win it. A good result on a street course would really help me since three of the last four races are on street or road circuits."