Timo Scheider has an unusual job in 2021: he is designing the tracks for the new Extreme E racing series. The two-time Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) champion reveals the details of this new challenge in his life.
Scheider wastes no time, even when in no rush because the route for the inaugural Extreme E event is already around the corner with the first fair on April 3-4 in Saudi Arabia and he has already designed the track for the second event in Senegal.
How does his rol work?
Scheider is on site for the track for five to seven days, including arrival and departure. During race week he is on site Monday through Sunday. “I tested the track live in advance with the race car and finally I approve if everything works with the passages, the angles and the battery life.
“In Saudi Arabia, in various parts of the country, I started logging or driving distances of between 8 and 15 kilometers at random. When the first idea of the design is had, it must first be clarified with the municipality, the public order office, etc. There are tons of edits, and that can take a few days,”he explained.
“Between my thoughts and understanding of Extreme E – to create something spectacular, special – and the possibilities on site – is that technically feasible with electricity and frequencies? – there is often some discrepancy,”added.
Image: motor.es
The driver says he really enjoyed the work in Senegal, where the second event will take place at the end of May. “There we are on the beach, a little inland, with big technical passages between trees, over dunes and then back to the beach, it will be really cool!”
Track record
Scheider has served as a passenger car racing driver. He represented Opel and Audi and he got seven wins at the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and two titles in 2008 and 2009.
He also had great endurance touring car successes: he won the 24 Hours of Spa in 2005 and 2011 and the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2003.
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Scheider started karting in 1989, and won the German Junior Karting Championship in 1994. In 1995 he went on to race in single-seaters and took the German Formula Renault 1800 title; the following year he was fourth in the German Formula Renault 2000.
From 1997 to 1999, Scheider competed in German Formula 3, where he finished second, seventh and sixth with several victories. Those years he also disputed the Masters of Formula 3; his best result was eighth in 1998.
An era begins
Starting in April, Extreme E will bring electric motorsport to the world’s most spectacular and famous places to demonstrate the performance of SUVs and draw attention to the challenges of the respective ecosystem.
The off-road circuit is approximately eight kilometers long, that drivers have to go through several gates. Each event consists of two racing days: qualifying takes place on Saturday, followed by the semi-finals and finals on Sunday.
Written by I Jhonattan González
