In conversation with Timo Scheider ahead of the 2020 World RX season.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross.

Timo Scheider joined the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2015 and immediately impressed upon his full-time debut at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 2017. The Rallycross bug had evidently bit the German racer hard as he will compete in his sixth World RX season, this time alongside team owner, Rene Münnich. 

Scheider was quick to show his love for Rallycross, stating that general paddock life and way of racing as the reasoning behind this passion for the sport. Coming from circuit racing background (DTM), the driving style in World RX tends to differ and while both racing formats create a form of adrenalin, it does tend to differ. 

“It’s the best feeling you can have when you have to handle such a strong car on different surfaces” Scheider mentioned. 

After 16-years and two championships (in 2008 and 2009 with Audi) in the DTM series, Scheider started his full-time campaign in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. In only his first race, Scheider managed to put pressure on another former DTM- and newly crowned, WRX champion, Mattias Ekström. 

Starting from the second row of the grid, Timo passed the stagnant Johan Kristoffersson and then Andreas Bakkerud for second-place. Outpacing the latter, both Ekström and Scheider jokered on lap 2 to exit just in front of Bakkerud and the chasing pack. To be able to do this on debut, as well as to finish right on the rear wing of the newly crowned champion, showed the world what he was capable of. 

Scheider’s second true showcase came in 2018, competing in the ARX at Silverstone. With a flipped bonnet and impaired vision, he finished the race only 0.57 seconds behind Patrick Sandell in second. 

In 2019, the German did well, recording a final race appearance at Yas Marina, Silverstone, and Killarney (South Africa). He also recorded semi-final appearances at the Circuit de Catalunya, Spa Francorchamps, Hell, Trois-Rivieres, Loheac, and Riga. This meant that he only missed out on a single finals’ appearance throughout the whole season. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Junaid Samodien/Slipstream SA

Joining forces with Rene Münnich, 2020 is set to be a very exciting year for the team. 

Speaking to Timo Scheider ahead of the 2020 season, the German champion explained his ambitions for the 2020 season. “I need to be on the podium. This is a clear target for 2020”, he mentioned as his first ambition from the year. 

Having stood on the WRX podium and just missing out on several occasions, the Münnich Motorsport driver certainly proved his worth in 2019 and will undoubtedly come into the 2020 season with valuable lessons learnt. 

Having a teammate for 2020 will also help with a much quicker car setup and track analysis than before. Whereas Timo previously used the 4 heats to set up his car for the finals, a combined input from his teammate should help to set up the car much quicker. 

Scheider is also confident that the 2020 car will be stronger, stating that the team engineer spent time on the previous weak areas. 

Whilst most of the World is currently still under partial lockdown due to the COVID-19 virus, Scheider mentioned that he is spending the time with his two boys and wife at home. 

Talking about what he is most looking forward to in 2020, Scheider quickly mentioned his anticipation for the first line up with his competitors, sending it into turn one (whichever track it might be). 

The German is clearly very anxious to kick off the 2020 season and we can certainly not wait to see the ALL-INKL.com Muennich Motorsport team in action. 

Written By: Franco Theron and Junaid Samodien