Timo Scheider has pursued the classic route in motorsport: karting, Formula racing and then DTM. Such rock-solid training led the 36-year-old to the top of the DTM, the world's best touring car series. Timo Scheider has been Champion twice; in 2008 and 2009. He has won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring and was ADAC Motor Sportsman of the Year 2008. Now another project has come along, as team owner and team manager in ADAC Formula 4, with RAVENOL as partner.

Timo, you're a racing driver for the DTM Audi works team and now team manager in the ADAC Formula 4: which job is more fun?

Scheider: It‘s clearly the job as a racing driver. It’s been my passion since I was a small boy and has brought me so much, which means I’m now able to pass on my experience to young people today. That’s very satisfying! 

Having mentioned that, it’s important to stress another of your roles: ‘talent scouting’ with your own karting team? What’s that project, what are you doing exactly?

Scheider: We’ve been running a karting team for five years now, and I say “we” quite deliberately. The whole family has been busy with it from the very first second. After a few victories and championship titles in various classes, since 2015 we’ve also been a Service Centre for brand Rotax and dealer for Exprit Karts, who are part of the OTK Group. I am convinced that karting is and remains the foundation for great racing and that's why it still provides me with a lot of fun.

Formula 4 is happening for the first time this year with ADAC Formula 4. You and Team Scheider Racing have been involved with it from the beginning. What was your motivation?

Scheider: I thought the idea for this new series was a very good one, and we had been thinking about it for some time, whether to make the leap and bridge the gap between karting and single-seater racing! 

Do you take part in all the Formula 4 races and how you can help the young drivers?

Scheider: Well, I’ve been in motorsport for more than twenty-five years and have experienced a lot, which means I’m able to answer quite a lot of the questions, but you never finish your training in life, and certainly not in motorsport either!

You yourself raced in the German Formula 3 Championship for three years: is it possible to compare Formula 3 with Formula 4, or are the cars too different?

Scheider: I think Formula 4 is the perfect preparation for Formula 3. From the driving style to the circuits, which are used in both Formula 4 and in Formula 3, it’s the perfect fit!

Does that mean that the ADAC Formula 4 series is the best foundation, for example, for the Formula 3 Championship? Or am I pushing it too far?

Scheider: As I said, I really believe the Formula 4 Championship is just the right Championship preparation for Formula 3, the next level. The fact that the races are covered by German TV rounds it off even better! 

As the team manager, do you ever get yourself into the Formula 4 cockpit, to better understand and instruct your young drivers?

Scheider: Sure, I’d never miss an opportunity like that! Especially as it’s also something which offers great help in terms of developing set-ups.

What are the benefits of driving with Team Scheider in the ADAC Formula 4 series? Subsequently, thanks to your relationships, can you open doors, or are you perhaps planning to one day build a Formula 3 team yourself in order to continue development?

Scheider: There are never any promises in motorsport, but I can safely say that we have a few contacts which may be helpful for the advancement of a career. Formula 3 is still a long way away, but ever-present, and you never know what tomorrow might bring.