A return to form for Timo Scheider?

Since Audi switched to the A5 in 2012, and the RS 5 in 2013, Timo Scheider could have been forgiven for wanting to leave Ingolstadt.

Following a woeful 2012 which saw him fail to finish four out of 10 races and finish a lowly 14th in the championship with 19 points, overtures by then Mercedes Motorsport boss, Norbert Haug, and the chance to drive possibly switch to Stuttgart almost saw Scheider in a Mercedes for 2013. Almost.

It was only a last minute deal and most likely a sense of loyalty to Audi given Scheider won his 2008 and 2009 DTM titles with the Abt Sportsline team, that saw him stay for 2013.

Whilst 2012 was Scheider’s annus horribilis, 2013 – on the face of things – did not appear to be a great improvement. Yes, he took pole at the Hockenheim season opener, but finished the race in sixth; almost 14 seconds behind winner Augusto Farfus. At Zandvoort, following a mistake on his Q4 lap he lined up fourth, and come race-day, finished a strong third behind Audi stable-mate Mike Rockenfeller and again winner, Augusto Farfus. Scheider eventually wound up 10th in the 2013 DTM championship with 37 points.

However, 10th in the championship does not tell the full story. Scheider could have, and should have won at Zandvoort. He had the pace to beat Farfus and a Scheider win would not have altered Rockenfeller’s championship bid. It was only team orders which prevented him from winning his first race since Adria 2010.

The over-riding factor in Scheider’s difficult two previous seasons has been bad luck. Terrible luck. At the Norisring last year, Scheider’s car failed to get off the grid due to a problem with brake pressure. Whilst building up the brake pressure from his starting position, he increased the force on the pedal and suddenly it gave way and went through to the floor. No start, a footwell full of brake fluid and no points.

Fast forward two races to the Nürburgring in August, a bizarre incident with an exploding fire extinguisher in his RS 5 rendered him unable to take part in practice. Consider in qualifying that all 22 cars in the DTM were rarely covered by more than two seconds last year, mechanics having to clean out cars due to exploding fire extinguishers eats into valuable track-time.

Following the fire extinguisher incident, a frustrated Scheider told TouringCarTimes; “well, we f****d that up, didn’t we?”

So, on 23 January this year, when it was announced that Scheider would be leaving Abt to join the 2013 DTM champion, Mike Rockenfeller, at Phoenix Audi, it was unsurprising.

Naturally, for Scheider, leaving Abt was difficult. His two DTM titles, six DTM career victories, 12 poles and 10 fastest laps all came with the Bavarian team, but when you consider Abt has taken five DTM titles since 2002, the problems which befell Scheider during 2012 and 2013 appeared even odder. Abt know how to win.

So does Scheider, and like any other race driver, he’s there to do so. With Phoenix’s DTM triumphs in 2011 and 2013, Scheider – who also won the Nürburgring 24 Hours with the team in 2003 – knows his arrival at the Ernst Moser squad will give him a blank canvas to do so. Sometimes a change of environment is helpful.

“Well, I think after seven great years at Abt it is a good chance to get new boost,” Scheider told TouringCarTimes in the wake of his move. “I already worked with Phoenix in the past and we won the Nürburgring 24 Hours together in 2003, so impressions won’t be that new.”

So, is his move back to Phoenix like returning home?

“Absolutely. My time with Abt was great so it feels a little bit like leaving and coming back home at the same time. I hope that the new atmosphere will give us an additional push.”

If, however, the post-title years at Abt were so great, then what were the problems? Did the new more aero dependant spec 2012 cars present difficulties for Scheider’s driving style?

After all, Scheider’s Audi stable-mate, Mattias Ekström, has made no secret of his preference for the older, more mechanical DTM cars. Maybe the situation was similar for both drivers.

“I won’t say that the new cars cause problems for me,” continued Scheider. “They are great fun to drive and the speed especially in the corners is great.

“But as the more aero cars are “easier” to drive then the pre-2012 spec DTM cars the fight for the podium became even tougher.”

Were, then, Scheider’s difficult 2012 and 2013 seasons the result of pure bad luck? After all, Zandvoort was his race. You don’t put yourself into contention for a win at the undulating Dutch coastal circuit through being slow. Or being massively ballsy.

“Concerning the last two years, we had some pretty bad luck, but this is racing,” he says philosophically. “We had some high points in that we got pole at the first round at Hockenheim in 2013, and Zandvoort in 2012. We were able to show more than one that we were performing very well.

“As for the low points, they were with the bad luck we had. More than once, single and small details took us out of the championship.

“For example, the release of my fire extinguisher whilst in testing at the Nürburgring. We had to clean the whole car and were not able to take part in the session.

“But anyway, this is racing,” he concludes. “To win a race you need to bring everything together: car, driver, pit stop and strategy.

“This change to Phoenix gives me and my team the chance to restart, so I think it is the right decision.”

A fresh start, and moving to the team which took the 2013 DTM drivers’ and teams’ championships, he could well be right.