Facts about Timo Scheider

What you didn't know about Timo Scheider yet

Ingolstadt/Hockenheim -- 29-year-old German Timo Scheider is the new DTM Champion, who thus takes over from his team-mate Mattias Ekstrom. Even though the Audi factory driver ranks among the stars this season there are several facts you may not have known before.

For example, that ...

-- Audi, with Timo Scheider, after 1990, 1991, 2002, 2004 and 2007 has won the DTM for as much as the fifth time.

-- Timo Scheider, before climbing into his racing car, strokes the roof of his Audi A4 DTM and even says a few words to the vehicle. "It's important that we're a unit," comments Scheider with a twinkle in his eye.

-- Scheider, since the race at Barcelona, has been driving with a helmet which has photographs of his family and stations of his -- by now -- 20-year racing career on it.

-- it is a ritual of the DTM Champions to put on his racing gloves only after getting into the cockpit.

-- Timo Scheider as late as last year was still nicknamed "podium objector" and that, after clinching his first DTM podium place at Hockenheim in October 2007, he didn't know immediately which side of the podium to mount as the runner-up.

-- Timo Scheider is capable of moving any vehicle on half of the wheels intended for this purpose. This applies to motor scooters as well as to quad bikes and golf carts.

-- Audi, after 1990/1991 with the V8 quattro, now managed to successfully defend the title again with Timo Scheider and the A4 DTM.

-- back then as well as today, two different factory drivers consecutively clinched the title for Audi. In 1990 it was Hans-Joachim Stuck, in 1991 Frank Biela, in 2007 Mattias Ekstrom and in 2008 Timo Scheider.

-- Timo Scheider is a big fan of Pink? A poster of the eccentric singer is even hanging on the wall of his living room.

-- Timo Scheider grew up in Braubach, only some 70 kilometres away from the Nurburgring.

-- his first driving lessons in the driving school of his parents in view of considerable racing experience would sometimes take place at a permanent speed of 180 kph, thus attracting attention of the local police.

-- Timo Scheider not only shows his talent during DTM sprints, but that he is also an endurance racer who has won 24-hour races at the Nurburgring and at Spa-Francorchamps.

-- now and then he invites his mechanics from Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline for barbecues on the terrace of his home.

-- is a football fan and, in addition to the Austrian club SCR Altach, keeps his fingers crossed for Borussia Dortmund for old times' sake.

-- he has even been given a "jersey of honour" by SCR Altach, Ailton's new club.

-- Timo Scheider at his 79th DTM race in April 2008 celebrated his first victory and afterwards needed only eight more races to win his first title.

-- Timo Scheider, at the age of 29, is still a member of the young generation on the one hand, but on the other is the only current Audi factory driver in the DTM who experienced the re-launch of the series in the 2000 season.

-- Timo Scheider is actively engaged in numerous charitable projects in his private life. In August, for example, he raised more than 20,000 euros for a good cause at a charity kart race.

-- Timo, his fiancee Jasmin and his son Loris Romeo star in a nation-wide TV commercial of computer games manufacturer Nintendo.

-- Timo Scheider calls the Audi R8 and the Audi Q7 his two favourite models from the Audi range.

-- the racing virus is rampant in the Scheider family. Timo's father Wolfgang Scheider already drove touring car races, Timo Scheider's fiancee Jasmin used to contest touring car one-make cups for a long time and her father, Peter Rubatto, is regarded as "Mister Superbike". Loris, Timo and Jasmin's son, is already driving racing karts.

-- Timo Scheider is Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline's first German DTM champion. Previous champions from the team were Laurent Aiello and Mattias Ekstrom.

-credit: audi